Slovakia may retaliate against Ukraine over oil transit issue: President

Prague, July 25 (IANS) Slovakia’s President Peter Pellegrini said that his country might take retaliatory measures against Ukraine for its recent decision to cut off oil supplies from the Russian company Lukoil to Slovakia.Speaking at a joint press conference with Defence Minister Robert Kalinak on Wednesday, the President said Ukraine’s decision to halt Lukoil oil transit to Slovakia and Hungary undermines good neighbourly relations between the countries, reported Xinhua news agency.”I firmly believe that Ukraine will manage to set things right as soon as possible because Slovakia, as a sovereign country, will eventually have to resort to some retaliatory measures, and this would not be to the benefit of Ukraine, its people or any of us in the region,” said Pellegrini.Slovakia is one of the key suppliers of electricity to Ukraine.Slovakia’s economy ministry said last week that oil deliveries from Lukoil have stopped flowing to Slovakia via Ukraine following the company’s inclusion on a Ukrainian sanctions list. The move also affected Bratislava-based refiner Slovnaft.On Monday, Slovakia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar, together with Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, submitted an urgent call to the European Commission for action on the matter.–IANSint/sd/svn