New York/Bratislava: Slovakia has no immediate plans to halt Russian oil imports, President Peter Pellegrini told US President Donald Trump during talks in New York this week. Trump has been urging the European Union’s holdouts — Hungary and Slovakia — to end their reliance on Russian crude, arguing that it would cut off Moscow’s war funding and pressure President Vladimir Putin into peace talks.
But Slovakia, a landlocked Eastern European country bordering Ukraine, has resisted, citing technological hurdles and limited capacity on alternative supply routes.
“If change is to come in the coming years, it’s called diversification,” Pellegrini told Trump during their Sept. 23 meeting, according to a statement from his office.
“Slovakia needs three, four, five different sources of gas and energy. We cannot replace dependence on Russia with dependence on the United States,” he said.
Pellegrini emphasized that Slovakia cannot sufficiently diversify its energy suppliers in the short term without technical and logistical support. He described the discussion as constructive, adding:
“He had a smile on his face, but he told me directly: do something about it.”
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also pushed back against Trump’s energy stance, warning that abandoning Russian oil and gas would ruin Hungary’s economy.
The European Union, which has already slashed Russian crude imports from 27% before the Ukraine war to just 3% by May 2025, is reportedly weighing additional trade measures targeting remaining purchases, according to Bloomberg.
Trump has also pressed Turkey and India to curb their oil imports from Russia.
Slovakia Refuses To Quickly Abandon Russian Oil Despite US Pressure
