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Slovakia not to back sanctions against Russia’s nuclear fuel – foreign minister

This is a red line for the largest party in the government coalition, Direction - Social Democracy, said the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic, Juraj Blanar

© Yevgeny Kurskov/TASS

BRATISLAVA, November 18. /TASS/. Slovakia plans to object to putting fuel for nuclear power plants on the EU’s 12th package of sanctions against Russia, as it is a red line for the Direction - Social Democracy party, which is the largest in the government coalition, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said.

"It is the red line for us that there should be no nuclear fuel (in the sanctions package - TASS). Our nuclear power plants cannot yet switch to the fuel alternative [to Russian]. This definitely cannot be there (in the list of restrictions - TASS)," he said on Slovak television.

According to the foreign minister, the European Union will heed Slovakia’s opinion. Provided that Russian nuclear fuel is added to the next sanctions package, Bratislava will veto this clause, he said.

Blanar emphasized that before restrictions are imposed by the European Union, not only should their impact on the EU be scrutinized, but also on Slovakia as a separate country.

Slovakia has two operating nuclear power plants - Mochovce, located 130 kilometers east of Bratislava, and Bohunice, located near the village of Jaslovske Bohunice in the west of the country. Both were constructed with the help of the Soviet Union and then Russia.

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