EU neighbor urges Slovakia to lift Russia sanctions veto
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has urged Slovak leader Robert Fico to withdraw Bratislava's veto of the EU's 18th sanctions package, which targets Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict. Slovakia blocked the measures for the second time on Friday.
Slovakia opposes the sanctions due to concerns over the RePowerEU plan, an EU initiative aimed at phasing out Russian energy imports by 2027. The plan is being discussed alongside measures targeting Russia's energy and financial sectors. Bratislava says it could lead to supply shortages, rising prices, increased transit fees, and potential legal disputes with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
In a post on X on Sunday, Fiala said he sent a letter to Fico urging Slovakia to reconsider its stance, citing the "exceptionally close relations" between the two countries.
While Russian gas has not been subject to a direct EU ban, most member states have voluntarily cut imports. However, several landlocked countries - including Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic - still rely on limited volumes through exemptions.
Last week, Fico described the RePowerEU plan as "ideological," and said Slovakia requires "clear guarantees, not political promises" to ensure energy security and affordability - conditions which he said are necessary for supporting the sanctions.
The European Commission has proposed advancing the energy phase-out via trade legislation, allowing approval by qualified majority and potentially bypassing vetoes by member states such as Slovakia and Hungary.
Budapest has also rejected the plan, with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto warning it would "destroy Hungary's energy security" and trigger price spikes.
In June, Brussels proposed a new round of sanctions targeting Russian energy exports, infrastructure, and finance. The measures would reportedly include a lower price cap on Russian oil, a ban on the future use of the Nord Stream pipeline, restrictions on refined products from Russian crude, and sanctions on 77 vessels linked to Russia's alleged 'shadow fleet' used to evade oil restrictions.
Moscow has denounced the sanctions as illegal and counterproductive, arguing that they have inflated EU energy prices and forced the bloc to depend on more expensive or rerouted imports, undermining economic competitiveness.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
‘Dark day': French PM says EU's Trump trade deal is a ‘submission'
The European Union's trade deal with the United States is 'submission' to U.S. President Donald Trump and marks a 'dark day' in the history of the bloc, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Monday. Trump announced a trade deal between the U.S. and the EU on Sunday after meeting with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland. Bayrou took to social media to criticize the deal, which would see an across the board 15 per cent tariff on most goods from Europe. 'Von der Leyen-Trump Agreement: it is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission,' Bayrou posted in French on the social media platform X. 2:04 What Trump's EU trade deal reveals about talks with Canada The response from French government officials stands in contrast to some other European nations. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal. Story continues below advertisement 'We have been able to safeguard our core interests,' Merz said in a statement on Monday. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron has not reacted to the announcement of a trade deal, while other senior French officials have been cautious in their reactions. 'The trade agreement negotiated by the European Commission with the United States will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced,' French deputy minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad said in a statement on X. 'The current situation is not satisfactory and cannot be sustainable. The free trade that has brought shared prosperity to both sides of the Atlantic since the end of the Second World War is now rejected by the United States, which is choosing economic coercion and complete disregard for WTO rules,' Haddad added. The private meeting between Trump and von der Leyen culminated months of bargaining, with the White House deadline Friday nearing for imposing punishing tariffs on the 27-member EU. 'It was a very interesting negotiation. I think it's going to be great for both parties,' Trump said. The agreement, he said, was 'a good deal for everybody' and 'a giant deal with lots of countries.' Von der Leyen said the deal 'will bring stability, it will bring predictability that's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.' Story continues below advertisement Trump said the EU had agreed to buy some $750 billion worth of U.S. energy and invest $600 billion more than it already is in America, as well as making a major purchase of military equipment. 'We are agreeing that the tariff straight across for automobiles and everything else will be a straight across tariff of 15 per cent,' Trump said. 'We have a tariff of 15 per cent. We have the opening up of all of the European countries.' Von der Leyen said the 15 per cent tariffs were 'across the board, all inclusive' and that 'indeed, basically the European market is open.' — With files from Associated Press
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Cyberattack on Russian airline Aeroflot causes the cancellation of more than 100 flights
Published Jul 28, 2025 • 2 minute read Customers stand by a counter of Russian airline Aeroflot at the airport in Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. Photo by Petr David Josek / AP A cyberattack on Russian state-owned flagship carrier Aeroflot caused a mass outage to the company's computer systems on Monday, Russia's prosecutor's office said, forcing the airline to cancel more than 100 flights and delay others. Ukrainian hacker group Silent Crow and Belarusian hacker activist group the Belarus Cyber-Partisans, which opposes the rule of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, claimed responsibility for the cyberattack. Images shared on social media showed hundreds of delayed passengers crowding Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where Aeroflot is based. The outage also disrupted flights operated by Aeroflot's subsidiaries, Rossiya and Pobeda. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Moscow region, Russia ❗ ✈️ Flight chaos at Sheremetyevo: Numerous Aeroflot flights were canceled or delayed on the morning of July 28! Aeroflot reported a so-called 'service malfunction' due to issues with its information systems, though no specific cause was disclosed.… — LX (@LXSummer1) July 28, 2025 While most of the flights affected were domestic, the disruption also led to cancellations for some international flights to Belarus, Armenia and Uzbekistan. In a statement released early Monday, Aeroflot warned passengers that the company's information technology system was experiencing unspecified difficulties and that disruption could follow. Russia's Prosecutor's Office later confirmed that a cyberattack had caused the outage and that it had opened a criminal investigation. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called reports of the cyberattack 'quite alarming,' adding that 'the hacker threat is a threat that remains for all large companies providing services to the general public.' Silent Crow claimed it had accessed Aeroflot's corporate network for a year, copying customer and internal data, including audio recordings of phone calls, data from the company's own surveillance on employees and other intercepted communications. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'All of these resources are now inaccessible or destroyed and restoring them will possibly require tens of millions of dollars. The damage is strategic,' the channel purporting to be the Silent Crow group wrote on Telegram. There was no way to independently verify its claims. The same channel also shared screenshots that appeared to show Aeroflot's internal IT systems, and insinuated that Silent Crow could begin sharing the data it had seized in the coming days. 'The personal data of all Russians who have ever flown with Aeroflot have now also gone on a trip — albeit without luggage and to the same destination,' it said. The Belarus Cyber-Partisans told The Associated Press that they had hoped to 'deliver a crushing blow.' The group has previously claimed responsibility for a number of cyberattacks, and said in April 2024 that they had been able to infiltrate the network of Belarus' main KGB security agency. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This is a very large-scale attack and one of the most painful in terms of consequences,' group coordinator Yuliana Shametavets said. She said that the group had been preparing the attack for several months, and were able to penetrate the Aeroflot network by exploiting various vulnerabilities. Belarus is a close ally of Russia. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for more than 30 years and has relied on Russian subsidies and support, allowed Russia to use his country's territory to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and to deploy some of Moscow's tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Russia's airports have repeatedly faced mass delays over the summer as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks, with flights grounded amid safety concerns. Wrestling World Canada Canada NHL
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A raw deal but the best they could get with Trump: Europe dismayed and relieved at the same time
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Union's trade agreement with the Trump administration is getting mixed reviews. EU officials say they warded off a total economic disaster. But French officials in particular say the EU punched below its weight while economists say the deal is dangerously vague. The deal leaves Europe with a 15% tariff on most goods imported into the U.S., with some goods categories tariff-free but no agreement on rates for key areas such as pharmaceuticals and steel. Here is what they're saying: The European Commission Failing to reach a deal by the Aug. 1 deadline would have meant a 30% tariff threatened by Trump, said Maroš Šefčovič, the EU's chief trade negotiator. The chief aim of European officials was a negotiated deal, rather than a tit-for-tat escalation that could have included retaliatory EU tariffs on 93 billion euros ($108 billion) worth of goods including US agricultural goods, steel and chemicals. 'A trade war may seem appealing to some, but it comes with serious consequences, with at least a 30% tariff,' said Šefčovič. 'Our transatlantic trade would effectively come to a halt, putting close to 5 million of jobs, including those in SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) in Europe, at grave risk. 'Our businesses have sent us a unanimous message: avoid escalation and work towards a solution that delivers immediate relief.' France: 'A dark day' Senior French officials on Monday criticized the accord, with Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin urging a European response in the services sector, and Strategy Commissioner Clément Beaune warning it underplayed the bloc's economic strength. 'The good news is that there is an agreement — our companies now have visibility and stability in the transatlantic trade relationship,' said Saint-Martin on France Inter radio. 'But this agreement is not balanced, and we will need to keep working.' He pointed to digital services as a key front in the trade imbalance. 'Donald Trump spent months saying he wanted to rebalance a trade relationship that disadvantages the United States, but he was only talking about goods. If we look at services, it's the opposite. So it's up to us now to carry out the work of force and rebalancing,' he said. 'The United States decided to use force to impose a new law of the jungle that no longer respects the rules of international trade that we had for decades,' Saint-Martin added. Beaune, France's High Commissioner for Strategy and Planning, said on franceinfo radio: 'This is an unequal and unbalanced agreement.' He warned: 'Europe did not wield its strength. We are the world's leading trading power.' 'When you look at it, the glass is a quarter full and three-quarters empty,' Beaune said. Prime Minister François Bayrou was even more scathing, posting on X: 'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to uphold their values and defend their interests, resigns itself to submission.' Germany: 'Avoided unnecessary escalation' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the deal would give companies a more predictable environment to plan and invest — a key EU goal after weeks of back-and-forth threats in tense talks with Trump administration officials. 'It is good that Europe and the U.S.A. have agreed and thus avoided an unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations' he said. 'We have been able to preserve our core interests, even if I would have very much wished for further relief in transatlantic trade.' Italy: 'Positive outcome' Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who has positioned herself as a 'bridge' between the Trump administration and Europe, welcomed news of the tariff agreement as a 'positive' outcome that avoided an 'unpredictable and potentially devastating' trade war. But in comments to reporters on the sidelines of a U.N. food security conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia she said details still needed to be worked out and that she still is unclear what exemptions are carved out for particular industries. 'I always thought, I continue to think that a trade escalation between Europe and the United States would have unpredictable, potentially devastating consequences,' she said. She said she needed to understand what the exemptions might be, including on agricultural products which are of concern to Italy, given its wine exports in particular. 'So there are a number of elements that are missing as well as I don't know exactly what we are referring to when we talk about investments, gas purchases.' She noted that the deal in its current form is legally non-binding in principle, 'so there is still, let's say, room to fight.' Hungary: Trump 'ate EU for breakfast' Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an ally of President Donald Trump who has gained a following within the MAGA movement, blasted the agreement on Monday as a failure on the part of Europe's leadership. 'Even at first glance, it is obvious to me that this is not an agreement,' Orbán said in a video discussion with his party's spokesman. 'Donald Trump ate (European Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast, that's what happened.' Orbán, a frequent critic of the European Union, has been careful not to criticize Trump's administration for its trade policy, instead faulting the EU for being unable to conclude a comprehensive tariff agreement with Washington. Orbán said a trade deal between the US and the UK which imposed a blanket 10% tariff on U.K. exports, was more favorable than that concluded with the EU. 'The American president is a heavyweight negotiator, and (von der Leyen) is a featherweight,' Orbán said. 'The European agreement is worse than the British one, so portraying it as a success will be difficult.' Economists: Less growth, many blank spots Jon Harrison at TS Lombard: 'It is no surprise to find that trade deals agreed under duress in weeks rather than the usual years of careful negotiation leave a mass of detail incomplete and open to interpretation.' Jack Allen-Reynolds, deputy chief eurozone economist at Capital Economics: 'We think this will reduce EU GDP by about 0.5%, which is worse than we had previously assumed.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'While the deal has avoided a much worse outcome for now, it remains to be seen whether it will last.' Julian Hinz, trade expert at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy: 'The deal agreed yesterday is not a good deal — it is appeasement. 'While the EU may avert a trade war in the short term, it is paying a high price in the long term by abandoning the principles of the multilateral, rules-based world trade system of the World Trade Organization.' —- McNeil contributed from Brussels, Adamson from Paris, and Winfield from Rome. Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, also contributed.
