Slovakia’s €10bn gas fear sends top diplomat to Moscow

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár sat down with Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, reviving an economic commission that has lain dormant since before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He says Slovakia must protect its energy supplies. The opposition Freedom and Solidarity party calls the trip treasonous.

Despite condemning Russia’s breach of international law, Slovakia needed to maintain contact, Mr Blanár argued. “We must communicate with Russia and protect Slovak interests,” he said in a statement shared by the foreign ministry, translated from Slovak.

🇸🇰 Minister J. Blanár held talks with Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation @mfa_russia, on bilateral relations between the two countries, economic and energy cooperation in line with the Slovak Republic’s commitments within the #EU, as well as… pic.twitter.com/yiSb2O6KIm
— Slovakia MFA 🇸🇰 (@SlovakiaMFA) October 26, 2026

Gas contract drives the return to Moscow

The visit coincides with the first meeting of the countries’ intergovernmental economic commission in almost five years. Its previous session took place in November 2021. Mr Blanár and Russian Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov are co-chairing talks covering energy, agriculture, tourism, and other areas.

Bratislava says cooperation will remain within sectors unaffected by EU sanctions. Representatives of state gas supplier SPP and nuclear decommissioning company JAVYS joined the delegation. Mr Blanár also rejected what he called the building of “a new Iron Curtain between the EU and Russia”.

Before travelling, Mr Blanár identified Slovakia’s Russian gas contract as a central concern. SPP has an agreement running until 2034 under ‘take-or-pay’ terms, requiring payment even when gas is not collected. He claimed ending purchases under the EU’s phase-out could expose Slovakia to compensation demands exceeding €10bn.

Opposition talks of treason

Freedom and Solidarity representative Ivan Novotný described the visit as “treasonous”, translated from Slovak. His party questioned whether economic cooperation was its real purpose, alleging that Moscow wanted restrictions on Russian diplomatic staffing in Bratislava lifted. Mr Blanár previously dismissed claims that he would negotiate higher staffing limits as nonsense. No agreement changing those limits has been announced.

We must communicate with Russia and protect Slovak interests. — Juraj Blanár, Slovak Foreign Minister

Neither side has so far unveiled a new energy agreement or a solution to Slovakia’s gas-contract concerns. Bratislava had also listed Ukraine and peace initiatives among the subjects for discussion. According to the Russian foreign ministry, the two ministers exchanged views on Ukraine and the crisis in EU–Russia relations.