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's latest sanctions package against Russia was delayed by Slovakia's request for stronger guarantees protecting its Russian gas supply. The EU aims to phase out Russian gas by 2028 but Slovakia argues this could harm its energy stability.

The European Union failed for a second day to approve a new package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday as Slovakia continued to seek concessions over gas supplies, four EU diplomats told Reuters.