President: Attacks Like Those on Druzhba Threaten Stability of Slovak Economy

        Bratislava, 22 August (TASR) - Slovakia is among the countries that are trying to assist Ukraine in all areas, apart from directly supplying weapons at the state level, President Peter Pellegrini posted on a social network on Friday, expressing his hope that Ukrainian leaders will realise this and that attacks by the Ukrainian army, such as those on the Druzhba oil pipeline, which threaten the stability of the Slovak economy, won't be part of their military activities.
        "I very much hope that the negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine will reach a stage at which there will be a ceasefire, and I believe that the peace efforts of US President Donald Trump and his partners will soon bring the desired result," wrote Pellegrini.
        The Slovak head of state also praised Trump's firm and dissenting stance on the Ukrainian attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline. Pellegrini pointed out that the people of Slovakia and the Slovak economy depended on this energy infrastructure. He also expects support from his partners in the European Union.
        The Ukrainian army has attacked the Druzhba oil pipeline infrastructure on Russian territory three times in nine days, and supplies via this pipeline, which also transports oil to Slovakia and Hungary, have therefore been suspended. The Slovak and Hungarian Foreign Affairs Ministers, Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) and Peter Szijjarto, respectively, have sent a joint open letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen on Friday concerning this, calling on the European Commission (EC) to immediately ensure adherence to commitments related to the security of energy supplies of EU-member states.
        The ministers reminded Kallas and Jorgensen of the fact that the EC in its resolution from 27 January 2025 stated that the integrity of energy infrastructure supplying EU-member states is a matter of security for the whole Union. In this regard, the Commission called on all third countries to respect this.