Slovakia aims for agreement by Tuesday on end of Russian gas supplies, sanctions

Slovakia aims to reach an agreement with the European Commission and EU partners by Tuesday on guarantees it will not suffer from the end of Russian gas supplies and on a new sanctions package against Russia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday.

Slovakia has been blocking the EU’s 18^th sanctions package over its disagreement with a separate Commission proposal to end all imports of Russian gas from 2028, which Slovakia argues could cause shortages, a rise in prices and transit fees, and lead to damage claims from Russian supplier Gazprom (GAZP.MM).

“We need to win something in this fight, though it will not be a 100-0 result,” Fico said. “We want political commitments, guarantees from partners and the Commission that this problem will not remain only on Slovakia’s back.”

Fico said it was not clear at this point if a deal would be reached as some issues were still outstanding.

Fico said one topic under discussion was capping the transit fees that Slovakia would have to pay for alternative routes for non-Russian gas.

Slovakia gets the majority of its gas from Gazprom under a long-term deal valid until 2034 for about 3.5 billion cubic metres of gas per year.

Since Ukraine stopped Russian gas from transiting through its pipelines at the end of 2024, Slovakia has taken some gas through the Turkstream pipeline and Hungary.

The Commission’s proposal to end Russian energy imports from 2028 requires the backing of the majority of EU states, but not unanimity.

However, sanctions against Russia need unanimity, therefore Slovakia merged the two issues and has refused to back the sanctions package until its concerns over energy are satisfied.

The European Commission on June 10 proposed a new round of sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, targeting Moscow’s energy revenues, banks and military industry.

The sanctions package—which in itself is not a problem for Slovakia, Fico said—could be approved by the EU’s foreign ministers on Tuesday if Slovakia lifts its opposition.

BP’s second-quarter results are expected to be impacted by lower prices received for gas and oil. While its upstream output is set to be higher than previously forecast,

Fico said he discussed Slovakia’s concerns with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday, but did not give details.

China, ASEAN to submit upgraded free trade deal to leaders in October, says China’s foreign minister

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to the media as he walks between meetings during the 58^th ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. MANDEL NGAN/Pool via REUTERS/Files

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to submit a pact upgrading their free trade areas to their leaders for approval in October, according to China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday.

Negotiations about the so-called 3.0 version of the free trade zone started in November 2022 and completed in May, seeking to cover areas such as the digital economy, green economy and supply chain connectivity.

China and ASEAN also agreed on a five-year action plan that specifies collaboration between the two sides in over 40 fields in the coming years, according to a statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citing Wang’s comments after attending the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Wang also said the two sides agreed to strive to complete consultations next year on a code of conduct in the South China Sea - a set of guidelines aiming to manage disputes in the region, where Beijing and several ASEAN members have overlapping maritime claims.

US demands clarity from allies on their role in potential war over Taiwan, FT reports

Flags of US and China are seen in this illustration picture taken August 2, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/Files

The Pentagon is urging Japan and Australia to clarify what role they would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

Elbridge Colby, the US under-secretary of defense for policy, has been pushing the matter during recent talks with defense officials of both countries, the report said, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.