The bloc should focus on internal issues rather than imposing more punitive measures on Moscow, Robert Fico has said

The European Union should prioritize its own internal problems over imposing more sanctions on Russia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.

Unlike most other EU member states, Slovakia under Fico has refused to provide weapons to Ukraine and has repeatedly voiced opposition to the bloc's sanctions against Russia.

Commenting on the European Commission's 20th package of punitive measures targeting Moscow, Fico said the "EU has more important obligations and priorities than sanctions against Russia." Speaking to STVR on Saturday, he added that all previous EU sanctions packages had brought no benefit to member states.

"We are only hurting ourselves," Fico argued. The Slovak prime minister said the EU is "going downhill," citing "worrying" economic trends and declining competitiveness across much of the bloc.

Fico said that at next Thursday's informal EU summit, he would urge fellow leaders to tackle the bloc's most pressing issues first: "Let us put the economy in order. Let us put foreign policy in order. Let us have the courage to say that some commissioners are not doing well in the European Commission and let us replace them."

The latest sanctions package drafted by the commission envisages a full maritime services ban for Russian crude oil, as well as measures targeting a number of Russian banks and export restrictions on metals, chemicals and critical minerals.

Fico recently sharply criticized the bloc's REPowerEU plan to completely phase out Russian gas imports by November 2027, describing the scheme as "suicide." The Slovak prime minister announced that Bratislava would sue Brussels over the ban.

Last month, Fico warned that the EU was in a "deep crisis" and called for the removal of the bloc's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, known for her hardline anti-Russian stance. He said that the bloc cannot be led by people with whom "decisive global players do not meet and do not consult seriously" - an apparent reference to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio having repeatedly refused to meet Kallas.