Slovakia
Naftogaz and the Greek company ATLANTIC-SEE LNG TRADE S. A. signed a memorandum on regular supplies of American liquefied natural gas to Ukraine until 2050. Supplies will be carried out through Greek gas terminals and the Vertical Corridor.
Hungarian oil refiner Mol said it could source most of its oil from non-Russian sources, signaling a shift in tone ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The EU introduced a new entry-exit system (EES) on October 12, which involves collecting biometric data from non-EU citizens. Currently, all checkpoints on the border with Hungary and Poland are connected to the system, and no traffic complications have been observed.
Five countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in energy and reaffirmed their commitment to diversifying gas supplies to Europe. This will reduce dependence on Russian energy resources; opportunities to increase American LNG supplies were discussed.
Poland is negotiating with the United States on importing liquefied natural gas for further supply to Ukraine and Slovakia. The volume of supplies to Slovakia could reach 4-5 billion cubic meters per year, which corresponds to the country's annual consumption.
EU countries have agreed to cut emissions by 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, a compromise ahead of COP30. The agreement provides for flexibility, including the possibility of purchasing international carbon credits.
The European Commission and the Belgian government will meet to overcome the political deadlock regarding the use of frozen Russian assets. Belgium is in no hurry to approve the plan due to fears of financial and legal risks, demanding guarantees and risk sharing with other EU countries.
An American reconnaissance aircraft, a Boeing RC-135U, is circling over the Black Sea near Sevastopol, causing concern among Russian military personnel. The aircraft departed from Britain and flew over six countries for reconnaissance activities near the Russian Federation.
Viktor Orban will meet with Donald Trump on November 7 in Washington to discuss energy issues. Hungary proposes to deepen cooperation with the US in nuclear energy, recognizing the impossibility of a rapid rejection of Russian oil and gas.
Thousands of cyclists rode on Dubai's 12-lane Sheikh Zayed Road. This is an annual ride that marks the city-state's fitness challenge.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will try next week to persuade US President Donald Trump to grant Hungary an exemption from sanctions on Russian oil. Landlocked Hungary claims there are no viable alternatives to Russian oil.
The European Commission is considering legal action against Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, which maintain unilateral bans on imports of Ukrainian goods. These bans violate EU single market rules after the updated trade agreement with Ukraine came into force.
From January 2026, Slovakia will introduce a speed limit of 6 km/h on sidewalks for cyclists, skaters, and electric scooter riders. This new measure aims to increase safety and reduce the number of collisions.
In October, Petro Poroshenko declared over 55 million hryvnias in income, of which almost 52. 5 million came from the Ministry of Finance of Hungary. This is the return of principal and interest on Hungarian government bonds, as well as over 2.4 million hryvnias in interest from capital withdrawn from Ukraine.
Slovakia offers Ukrainian graduates free education at public universities, a European diploma, and employment opportunities. The cost of living for students is 400-500 euros per month, which is half as much as in neighboring countries.
Most Ukrainian arms manufacturers are seeking safe working conditions abroad due to Russian aggression. The main reasons are the inability to export products and insufficient volumes of state orders.
Andrej Babiš, leader of the ANO movement, has agreed on a government coalition with the right-conservative Motoristen party and the anti-European SPD. Babiš previously stated that he would not provide Ukraine with money for weapons from the budget.
The European Union has significantly increased imports of diesel and jet fuel from other countries, preparing for restrictions on petroleum products produced from Russian crude oil. From October 1 to 20, almost 1.9 million barrels of fuel arrived at EU ports, which could become a monthly record.
Hungary seeks to join forces with the Czech Republic and Slovakia to form an alliance of Ukraine skeptics in the EU. This could complicate EU efforts to provide financial and military support to Ukraine.
The United States of America expects Hungary to abandon the purchase of Russian oil. The US also calls on China to pressure Moscow to end the war against Ukraine, as Beijing supplies Russia with significant volumes of oil, gas, and dual-use technologies.
Queues at the Ukrainian-Polish border are caused by an increase in passenger traffic during the autumn holidays, and not by the new EU control system. SBGS spokesman Andriy Demchenko noted that the system operates only at three checkpoints.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that his country will not participate in EU initiatives for military support to Ukraine, considering Brussels' plans to provide Kyiv with 140 billion euros as "the biggest mistake. " The head of Slovak diplomacy, Juraj Blanár, denied Slovakia's isolation, citing the support of partners in exceptions for the export of Russian oil products.
The European Union purchased half of Russia's total LNG exports from February 2022 to September 2025. Hungary, Slovakia, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands are key importers of Russian gas.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that his government will never sign a loan guarantee for Ukraine for military expenditures. Slovakia will not spend a single cent from its own budget for these purposes, but is ready to help Ukraine with humanitarian issues.
The leadership of the Netherlands and Romania believe that Lukoil will sell its plants located in the territories of these countries.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the country is working on how to circumvent US sanctions against Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft.
In Rostov-on-Don, Russians sentenced the administrator of a Telegram channel from Melitopol to 14 years, accusing her of terrorism.
The European Union is preparing its 19th package of sanctions against Russia, for the first time including two independent Chinese oil refineries and one trading company. These entities are involved in circumventing Western restrictions, increasing pressure on Beijing.
The European Union is preparing to approve the 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas from 2027. The package also targets Russian banks, lenders in Central Asia, and cryptocurrency exchanges, expanding trade restrictions and blacklisting oil tankers.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced evidence of attempts to disrupt a meeting between US and Russian representatives in Budapest. He called for an unhindered Trump-Putin summit with EU support.