Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini accompanied by Economy Minister Peter Ziga met with the new Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on February 26, being the first European official to be received by the new Russian PM, the Slovak News Agency reported.

According to Pellegrini, Slovakia, as an EU member, “is aware of complications that hamstring ties between the EU and Russia, but Slovakia also holds its own views on how relations with Russia, including sanctions, should look and is ready to present them,” the prime minister said as cited by the news agency.

Slovakia has been among the countries against the barriers and the constant application of sanctions. “We can surely achieve a lot more with dialogue than with certain harsh stances from either one side or the other,” Pellegrini stressed.

Among the key issues discussed were supplying and transporting natural gas, the issue of nuclear waste disposal, building a deep nuclear fuel repository, trade, tourism, cultural and educational exchanges.

“A country like Slovakia is unlikely to be able to do this [construction of nuclear fuel repository] on its own,” said Pellegrini. The CEE countries thus should consider a joint project purchasing nuclear fuel from Russia, with a waste disposal facility located in Russia.