Germany urges Slovakia for more solidarity on Russian sanctions

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on Slovakia to be more supportive of EU measures targeting Russia over the war on Ukraine, as he visited Bratislava on Tuesday.

Both countries affirmed their "full support for Ukraine," Wadephul said after talks with his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár.

Germany's top diplomat said that in his view, this also includes cutting off Russian energy supplies.

All partners would have to "stand together" on this, he said, addressing Blanár.

"More pressure" must be applied to Moscow, as "Russia is showing no willingness to make peace," while Ukraine, on the other hand, has "repeatedly declared its willingness" to end the war, Wadephul said.

Without directly mentioning Slovakia, Wadephul said it would be "not only a lack of solidarity, but also irresponsible" to question that the greatest threat to Europe is "Putin’s belligerent imperialism." 

The EU cannot afford to have individual member states blocking measures such as sanctions, the German foreign minister added.

Slovakia notes energy dependence on Russia

Blanár condemned Russia's war against Ukraine as a gross violation of international law, but reiterated Slovakia's position that there could be no military solution to the conflict in its neighbouring country.

He said it was inevitable that talks were needed with Russia. "Russia will not disappear from the map," he said.

The government of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has frequently criticized European Union sanctions against Moscow and has taken a more Russia-friendly stance than many of Slovakia's EU and NATO partners.

Most recently, Bratislava pushed for the lifting of EU sanctions on Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

Blanar noted that, for Slovakia, the phase-out of Russian energy demanded by Germany would be difficult to achieve due to decades of interdependence.

"Slovakia has built its entire infrastructure on the basis of Russian energy supplies," he said, adding that cutting those ties would cause "huge problems" and could not be achieved overnight.

Slovakia is working on diversifying its energy supplies, he stressed, for example through natural gas from Algeria. Work is also under way on an alternative oil route via the Adriatic pipeline from Croatia, but its capacity is insufficient, the foreign minister said.

Wadephul heads to Council of Europe

Wadephul is also due to visit Strasbourg on Tuesday, where he will address the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and meet several representatives of the organization.

Germany is one of the Council of Europe's largest bilateral donors.

Against this backdrop, Wadephul intends to emphasize Germany's commitment to protecting and strengthening human rights, the rule of law and democracy, according to the Foreign Office.