Slovakia nurtures special ties to Russia, despite EU sanctions

In mid-May 2014, while the European Union's major powers were keeping up the pressure on the Kremlin over its intervention in Ukraine, Miroslav Lajcak, the foreign minister of EU member Slovakia, headed to Moscow.

Slovakia has been trying to keep a balance between East and West, preserving the economic benefits of being close to Russia while also belonging to a European Union set on punishing the Kremlin for annexing Ukrainian territory.

The country has been seen by some EU diplomats as part of a group of EU member states with an ambiguous position towards Russia concerning the Ukrainian crisis, together with Bulgaria, Cyprus and Hungary.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Russia says it will halt gas deliveries if Ukraine doesn’t pay http://www.europeansources.info/record/energy-and-the-ukrainian-crisis-russia-says-it-will-halt-gas-deliveries-if-ukraine-doesnt-pay/

ESO: Background information: Putin defies West with Crimea visit / EU foreign ministers to raise pressure on Russia over Ukraine http://www.europeansources.info/record/putin-defies-west-with-crimea-visit-eu-foreign-ministers-to-raise-pressure-on-russia-over-ukraine/

ESO: Background information: In the Kremlin's Grip: Fears Grow Over Bulgaria's Russian Dependence http://www.europeansources.info/record/in-the-kremlins-grip-fears-grow-over-bulgarias-russian-dependence/

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