Slovakia to restart Russia economic talks, with energy in focus

Slovakia plans to resume economic consultations with Russia in Moscow next Monday, with oil, gas and nuclear energy among the priorities, RT reported, citing an announcement by the Slovak Foreign Ministry late on Tuesday.

The Russian-Slovak intergovernmental commission for economic, scientific and technical cooperation has not met since November 2021. Its planned revival puts energy security at the centre of renewed bilateral engagement, alongside discussions on agriculture, the environment, sport and culture.

Energy supplies and European commitments

The ministry said Slovakia wanted to explore cooperation on securing strategic resources, including gas deliveries and the continuation of oil supplies. Nuclear energy is also on the agenda. The announcement concerns planned consultations, rather than a completed supply agreement.

Landlocked Slovakia has continued buying Russian oil and gas despite the deterioration in relations between Moscow and the European Union following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The report describes Slovakia as facing a late-2027 deadline to end those purchases under the bloc’s energy phaseout plans.

Bratislava said its approach remained anchored in EU and NATO membership and the obligations that come with both. It nevertheless wanted to preserve room for dialogue with Moscow.

Fico’s approach to Moscow and Ukraine

The move follows the policy direction taken by Prime Minister Robert Fico since returning to office in October 2023. His government halted state weapons shipments to Ukraine, opposed Ukrainian NATO membership and called for peace, drawing criticism from Brussels and repeated public disagreements with Kyiv.

In September, Fico warned of the risk of a direct NATO-Russia confrontation and accused Western countries of seeking a justification for a wider conflict. That accusation represents his political assessment; the report offers no evidence establishing such an intention.