Ukraine's PM on oil transit to Slovakia: Lifting sanctions against Lukoil not under discussion

Ukraine has no plans to lift sanctions against the Russian oil company Lukoil and this issue is not under discussion, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, commenting on a series of recent talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

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"The sanctions imposed by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council do not pose a threat to the energy security of Slovakia or Europe as a whole, which is why lifting them is not a subject for discussion. We have full understanding from Brussels on this matter," Shmyhal wrote on Telegram on Wednesday, July 31.

He reminded that the European Union has allowed Slovakia and several other countries to use Russian oil, provided they actively develop alternative supply channels. Most countries are doing this.

"Slovakia is our reliable partner, from whom we do not expect blackmail or threats. Threatening Ukraine, which is defending itself against an aggressor, for the sake of allowing a terrorist state to continue earning its bloody excess profits, is a questionable path," Shmyhal wrote.

The next intergovernmental meeting on oil transit is scheduled for October, he added. Shmyhal hopes for "constructive, pragmatic dialogue."

He emphasized that Ukraine insists on its partners maximally refusing Russian oil, but at the same time is a reliable transit country "for all countries that value freedom and the rule of law" and "unequivocally fulfills the Association Agreement with the EU."

The day before, Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak said that Ukraine is ready for consultations with the European Commission regarding the transit of oil from Russian Lukoil.

Ukraine is "ready to resolve possible problematic issues" when Slovakia activates the relevant mechanism in the Association Agreement with the EU.

Read also: No need to fear Slovak and Hungarian threats over Lukoil, but our transit situation isn't clean