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 is edging closer to finally adopting its latest sanctions package, the 18th since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. But two items still remain to be negotiated.