Ukrainian PM tells Slovak counterpart Kyiv will not lift sanctions against Russia's Lukoil

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has commented on recent conversations with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico regarding Ukraine's restrictions on the transit of oil produced by the Russian company Lukoil to Slovakia and Hungary.

Shmyhal emphasised on Telegram that Kyiv insists that its partners should refuse Russian oil as far as possible, but at the same time, Ukraine is a reliable transit country "for all countries that value freedom and the rule of law" and "unquestionably fulfils the Association Agreement with the EU".

"The sanctions imposed by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council pose no threat to the energy security of Slovakia or of Europe as a whole, which is why lifting them is not a matter for discussion. So we have a full understanding from Brussels in this matter," he stressed.

Instead, Shmyhal said, the threat to Slovakia's energy security is "Russia, its hybrid energy war against the Slovak people, its blackmailing and political ultimatums".

"Slovakia is a reliable partner of ours, from whom we do not expect any blackmail or threats. Because threatening Ukraine, which is defending itself against the aggressor, so that the terrorist state can continue to earn its bloody excess profits, is a dubious path," he said.

Shmyhal announced that the next Ukraine-Slovakia intergovernmental meeting will take place in October and said he hoped for "constructive and pragmatic dialogue" there.

Shmyhal's statement came after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened Ukraine with consequences if Kyiv did not resume the transit of oil from Lukoil.

Read more on this: Why Ukraine's decision on Russia's Lukoil is a problem but not a catastrophe