Slovakia: Important to Maintain Active Hydrocarbon Supplies from Russia

Ukraine’s clear “no” to the Russian proposal to extend the gas transit agreement to Europe is of great concern to Eastern European countries and beyond. Finding alternatives is a difficult task that yields few results. It is for this reason that Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar bluntly stated that “Slovakia wants to keep oil and gas supplies from Russia because they are reliable and have stable prices.”

Blanar said this after meeting with Russian diplomatic chief Sergei Lavrov, who is attending a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) currently taking place in Malta. “Although we are working on diversification, it is important for us to have a guaranteed supply in the volumes we need and at favorable prices,” Blanar emphasized.

Meanwhile, Russia announced that oil production in 2024 and 2025 is expected to be between 518 and 521 million tons. Russian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of energy Alexander Novak told a press conference that “we expect about 518-521 million tons of oil in 2024 and about the same volumes in 2025.”