Disputes with Kiev over oil, Slovakia threatens to block EU sanctions on Russia 

Bratislava will veto the 20th package of EU-proposed sanctions against Russia, as well as block any efforts to simplify Kiev's potential membership in the bloc, if Brussels continues to favor Ukraine over Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico warned.

Slovakia, like its southern neighbor Hungary, has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with Ukraine since late January, when the Druzhba pipeline, which once carried Russian crude oil to both countries, was cut off. Kiev has claimed it was damaged in Russian attacks, a charge Moscow has denied.

Both Slovakia and Hungary have accused Ukraine of deliberately halting supplies for political blackmail and have threatened retaliatory measures if the pipeline remains out of service. Kiev has claimed the artery is being repaired, but has repeatedly changed the deadline.

Speaking in a video address posted on his Facebook page late Saturday, Fico complained about the treatment his country has received from EU bureaucrats. The prime minister said the bloc has threatened Bratislava with consequences for its domestic protectionist measures, including rationing oil for foreigners.

"The European Commission immediately sent us a threatening letter within two days, threatening all possible actions. It is strange that the same language is not used in relation to Zelensky; they are full of love and understanding," Fico declared.

If the stance remains the same and the EU Commission continues to "favor Ukraine over Slovakia," Bratislava will block the proposed 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions, as well as no longer show "readiness for Ukraine's rapid accession to the union," the prime minister warned.

The sanctions package has already been mired in oblivion over the Druzhba controversy, after the initiative was opposed by another victim of the pipeline shutdown, Hungary. Budapest has also scrapped a proposed 90 billion euro ($104 billion) EU aid package for Kiev, approved by member states late last year. Without the emergency loan, Ukraine is expected to run out of money by June, according to Bloomberg.

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