In America, support for new sanctions against Russia is born. Slovakia can surprise
The sanctions are promoted by Trump’s ally.
Washington, BRATISLAVA. Existing failures so far US President Donald Trump In an effort to end the Russian war against Ukraine They may have a result that would also hit Slovakia.
The Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, considered a significant President’s ally, said he had a preliminary consent of 60 senators to prove a new package of sanctions against the US Congress in the Upper Chamber of the US Congress Russiawrote the diary Wall Street Journal.
The Senator even expected he could get up to 67 votes, which, according to WSJ, could break the possible presidential veto.
Senator Graham was playing with the penalty package in April, but now he was able to gain support for several opposition Democrats, including their Senate leader Chuck Schumemo and the White House. According to the daily, Moscow sends a signal that the Senate is determined to act if Trump fails to push Moscow to the ceasefire.
Sanctions should target Russia, but the package counts on a five -hundred -century American cluster to goods imported from countries that buy oil, natural gas, uranium or other commodities from Russia.
These include Slovakia and Hungary.
In the article you can read:
- What do we know about the sanction package and the possibility of becoming a reality,
- As it would turn out to European countries,
- As an expert evaluates it,
- What happens in the peace process between the US, Russia and Ukraine.
Now it’s too late to decide
Graham according to the Wall Street Journal expects the sanctions set up in this way should be the most out of China, India and Iran. According to the daily, Senator’s spokeswoman Taylor Reidy noted that the package may also turn out to European states.
She added, however, that at a recent meeting with diplomats from German, British, Polish or French embassy was a consensus on the fact that time to decide whether the states were on the side of the West and Ukraine or on the side of Russia had already expired.
Nevertheless, 17 percent of natural gas and 18 percent of liquefied gas in the European Union come from Russia.
The Czech Republic announced in mid -April that it was able to cut off Russian oil after decades. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala He described it as a historic security milestone.
« The reports of whether the Russian oil pipeline will flow or will not flow, although they are interesting, but they are no longer important to the Czech Republic, » said Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura.
Slovakia is different. “As far as the diversification of gas sources are concerned, since the onset of government Robert Fico Neither the government nor the CAP did not announce anything fundamental, « he noted for SME Karel Hirman. The former Minister of Economy in Government Eduard Heger.
Pointed out that Slovnaft belonging to the Hungarian MOL concern increases purchases Oil from the Adria and Tanker pipeline only gradually.
He sees a similar problem in nuclear fuel purchases. « Slovenské elektrárne has the beginning of the purchase of fuel from (an American company) Westinghouse postponed for later and instead extended the contract to buy from the Russian tvel, » he says.
According to him, the government of Robert Fico reconcises its steps with Budapest, but not with Prague or Warsaw and Slovak energy is thus very vulnerable not only to fighting in Ukraine, but also by decision -making in Moscow or Washington.
Hirman added that although Heger’s government It started the diversification strategy, the current did not continue in it.
From Slovakia, Putinov is already a top client in Europe, no one sends Russia more for oil Read
Overwhelming sanctions
According to WSJ, Graham has described sanctions as overwhelming for the Russian economy and said that if there is no ceasefire, he is sure that « the Senate will start acting in a way that will hardly hit Russia ».
Much depends on the decision of President Trump, who has so far leaned on the Russian side in the negotiations, but in recent days it indicates that he is losing patience with the Kremlin regime.
The US daily adds that the declared support of the majority of senators does not mean that sanctions will be voted on. Graham claims that he informed Trump about his initiative, and although he is optimistic about Trump’s peace effort, he pointed out that « it cannot last forever ».
The Senate, in which the Republicans have the majority, still gives Trump time, Graham has not set the exact limit, but says that the decision to vote is « a matter of weeks ».
Slovakia is a top client of Moscow
The possibility that US anti -Russian sanctions will turn out to Slovakia appears at a time when the Slovak government coalition grows intensive relations with Moscow and Prime Minister Robert Fico wants to attend a military show on 9 May.
Magazine Index in July 2024 He pointed out that Slovakia is still one of the most prominent European partners of Moscow in oil and natural gas.
Helsinki organization CREA (The Energy Research Center) then published data that in the first half of 2024 Slovakia bought Russian fossil fuels for 1.8 billion euros.
Sources from the sale of minerals are a significant income of the Russian state budget and helps to finance the war against Ukraine.
Export to the US is important for the Slovak automotive industry, Minister of Finance Ladislav Kamenický He pointed out in Februarythat within the V4 countries, Slovakia has the largest share of exports to the United States, while exports are dominated by cars and machines.
War in Ukraine
