Latest news with #Blanar
Russia Today
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU country urges Global South to play role in Ukraine conflict resolution
Major non-Western powers could play a vital role in European security after the Ukraine conflict, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar has said in an interview with RT. 'Countries of the Global South should be one part of these [Ukrainian] security guarantees,' the minister stated on Tuesday, speaking on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue, a conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics in New Delhi. 'Countries like China, Brazil, also India, introduced some peace proposals, and they want to be involved in this.' In contrast to some other members of the EU, Slovakia does not believe that the Ukraine conflict can be resolved in Kiev's favor through ongoing military support, Blanar explained. Consequently, Bratislava supports the new approach adopted by US President Donald Trump, who is pursuing the restoration of dialogue with Russia and an end to the hostilities through compromise. According to Blanar, Slovakia views peace in Ukraine as an outcome that would benefit the entire world, meaning 'all the stakeholders, like India, and China, and Brazil, the Global South, and also the countries of the European Union, should be around the table and securing this peace for the future.' Moscow perceives the EU to be an obstacle to resolving the Ukraine conflict, citing the bloc's pledge to continue supplies of weapons to Kiev and its resistance to making any concessions to Russia.
Russia Today
13-02-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Ukraine purchasing Russian gas from EU
Ukraine has been purchasing Russian gas via EU energy companies, Slovakia's minister of foreign and European affairs, Juraj Blanar, stated on Wednesday. Kiev recently refused to renew a contract to transit Russian gas through its territory. Blanar was commenting on a recent media report by the local broadcaster STVR that alleged that Slovakia was supplying Russian gas to Ukraine. The Slovak minister blasted the report as 'false and manipulative.' 'The truth is that Russian gas, which Ukraine purchased from abroad, flows to Ukraine through Slovak territory,' Blanar stated in a Facebook post. 'Even an average educated person can see the huge difference between this reality and the misleading headline,' he wrote. Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova has also denied the report, claiming that Czech and German companies have been supplying Kiev with Russian gas that merely passes through the Slovak system. According to Slovak media outlets, reverse flows to Ukraine – estimated at 17 million cubic meters daily – started on February 6. Most of the imports reportedly go through the Hungarian, Slovak and Polish gas transportation infrastructure. On Monday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that Slovakia has started receiving Russian natural gas via the TurkStream pipeline, averting an energy crisis in the country after Kiev halted transit. Fico also confirmed that Ukraine was receiving gas from foreign suppliers, without which he said the country 'would freeze.' READ MORE: Russian gas exports via key Black Sea pipeline hit historic high – Reuters He emphasized that Slovakia was not involved in those supplies, which, according to the Slovak prime minister, have pushed European gas prices even higher. Fico, however, argued that Slovakia has 'a moral right to consider measures such as stopping foreign gas deliveries to Ukraine,' while the EU 'is making a fool of itself.' The prime minister previously accused Zelensky of exacerbating Slovakia's energy crisis and undermining EU interests. TurkStream, a crucial energy corridor for transporting gas from Russia to Türkiye under the Black Sea, has become the main route for Russian gas to reach southern and southeastern Europe following Kiev's refusal to renew the transit deal with Moscow. The decision forced Slovakia and several other EU states to seek alternative supply routes. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky defended the decision, arguing that halting Russian gas transit would deprive Moscow of crucial energy revenues. However, Slovakia and Hungary accused Kiev of deliberately triggering an energy crisis for political leverage. Despite the developments, Moscow has reiterated its commitment to maintaining stable gas supplies via TurkStream, ensuring continued energy security for the countries that depend on it. Data analyzed by Reuters shows that deliveries of Russian natural gas via the TurkStream pipeline have reached a historic high, exceeding 50 million cubic meters per day in January. The figure marked a 27% year-on-year increase.
