Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that he has instructed the country's representatives in the European Union to support the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, saying that he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed on guarantees for Slovakia concerning gas prices.

Slovakia accepted guarantees from the European Union’s executive arm to limit the fallout from a planned cutoff of Russian gas supplies and, in exchange, will lift its veto on the bloc’s 18th sanctions package against Moscow.

The European Union on Friday reached an agreement to impose its 18th round of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine after Slovakia ended its protest.

All negotiating options have been exhausted for now, and continuing our blocking position would now endanger our interests," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said.

The European Union did not approve the 18th Russia sanctions package on Tuesday, the EU's foreign chief Kaja Kallas said after a meeting with EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Slovakia will support the 18th package of EU anti-Russian sanctions tomorrow. This was stated on the social network Facebook * by the country's Prime Minister Robert Fico.