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Russian gas supplies through Ukraine remain Slovakia’s priority - Prime Minister

However, Slovakia has no extra money to support Ukraine, he says

Workers of Slovak Gas Industry pass gas pipelines in the eastern Slovak town of Velke Kapusan (archive) AP Photo/Petr David Josek

Workers of Slovak Gas Industry pass gas pipelines in the eastern Slovak town of Velke Kapusan (archive)

© AP Photo/Petr David Josek

PRAGUE, March 25. /ITAR-TASS/. The possibility of extending aid to Ukraine does not necessarily mean that the European Union will have to pay for everything, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico told a conference in Bratislava, devoted to the international and European policy of the Slovak Republic.

“We are ready to help them, but any kind of help has its bounds and it is economically limited,” Fico said.

He added that “Slovakia’s first priority is to ensure guaranteed and secure Russian gas deliveries through Ukraine to the country”.

Slovakia is concerned about the ongoing negotiations with Ukraine about reverse gas supplies. They could become a form of assistance for that state, Fico said. However, Slovakia had no extra money to support Ukraine.

“One of the government’s major tasks (in Slovakia) is economic diplomacy and support for our companies,” Fico said.

Slovakia’s energy company Eurostream would have to invest no less than 20 million euros in the project, “which nobody will return to us in the event of failure”, to organise reverse gas supplies to Ukraine, he added.

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