Krystyna Kazakova 23:58, 18.05.26 UNIAN

The European Union has decided to completely abandon gas imports from Russia by November 1, 2027

The Slovak authorities are going to conclude a long-term contract with Azerbaijan for the supply of natural gas for a period of at least ten years, Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba said in an interview with the Azerbaijani Report agency .

“Slovakia wants to diversify energy supplies, and Azerbaijan is a very reliable partner for us,” Taraba said.

At the same time, the question of how to supply Azerbaijani gas to Central Europe remains open. The Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia shared that the parties are discussing which pipelines can be used and in what volume.

Previously, the head of the largest Slovak energy operator Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel (SPP), Martin Huska, reported that the search for new gas suppliers is ongoing in connection with the decision to phase out gas purchases from Russia, adopted by the European Union due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Huska noted that negotiations are underway with the Azerbaijani company SOCAR on long-term gas supplies. It is noteworthy that in 2024, Azerbaijan began supplying gas to Slovakia under a pilot contract.

Slovakia remains one of the few countries in Europe that still buys Russian oil and gas, receiving it through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, including a branch that runs through Ukraine.

Gas from Russia arrives in Slovakia bypassing the Ukrainian gas transportation system, namely through the Turkish Stream gas pipeline.

The Slovak government, despite its membership in the EU and NATO, maintains ties with Russia and has long argued that abandoning Russian energy sources would be too costly for the country.

It is worth noting that the European Union has decided to completely abandon gas imports from Russia by November 1, 2027. 

Ukraine and Slovakia: latest news

UNIAN previously reported that on the night of Thursday, April 23, Slovakia began receiving Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline . In response to the resumption of supplies,

Hungary lifted its veto on the European Union’s reparations loan for Ukraine in the amount of 90 billion euros. Reuters notes that Hungary and Slovakia continue to rely on Russian oil and gas supplies and are trying to maintain imports of Russian energy resources.

On January 27, 2026, due to the Russian attack on Ukraine, the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary was suspended.

We also wrote that the Slovak National Party, which is part of the ruling coalition, is demanding that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico not support Ukraine’s European integration at least until the next parliamentary elections.

This statement came after Fico said that his country supports Ukraine’s aspirations to become a member of the European Union after a conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Slovak Prime Minister said that he and the Ukrainian president have “different opinions on some topics,” but also have “a common interest in good and friendly relations between Slovakia and Ukraine.”