Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that he has instructed the country's representatives in the European Union to support the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, saying that he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed on guarantees for Slovakia concerning gas prices.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, criticising the EU's plan to phase out Russian gas by 1 January 2028 under the REPowerEU strategy and urging a delay in voting on the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia.

The European Union is edging closer to finally adopting its latest sanctions package, the 18th since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. But two items still remain to be negotiated.