Fico tells Putin he will try to block EU ban on Russian gas

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that he would attempt to block the REPowerEU plan, which aims to phase out the European Union’s reliance on Russian gas and other energy resources. This was reported on the Kremlin’s official website.

"If a unanimous agreement among all 27 countries is required, we will use our veto power to block the ban on energy imports. If the decision is made by majority vote instead, the major powers will decide on their own," Fico said during a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on May 9.

He argued that the EU — and Slovakia in particular — is not ready to operate without Russian energy.

"If you think someone will simply buy fuel from Westinghouse and load it into our nuclear power plants, that is simply not possible," he added.

However, Ukraine has successfully used Westinghouse fuel assemblies in its VVER-1000 reactors since 2015, and in VVER-440 reactors — the same type as in Slovakia — since 2023.

Fico also warned that cutting off gas supplies would trigger instability. "In oil refining, our petrochemical plants are calibrated for Russian oil, and any disruption could lead to technological issues," he said.

• The European Commission's REPowerEU plan calls for a ban on new contracts for Russian gas and the termination of existing spot contracts — short-term agreements to purchase gas at prevailing market prices — by the end of 2025. A full phase-out of both pipeline and liquefied Russian gas is expected by the end of 2027.
• Oil imports from Russia are also to be completely phased out by that time. The timeline for eliminating imports of Russian uranium and nuclear materials remains unclear, but the EU aims to do so gradually, focusing on diversification and developing domestic alternatives.
• In 2024, the EU imported €23 billion worth of Russian energy — more than it spent in aid to Ukraine.