Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has sharply criticised the European Union’s decision to ban Russian gas imports by 2027, calling it “energy suicide” driven by ideology rather than economics. Warning that Europe will “pay dearly,” Fico argued the move merely swaps dependence on Russian energy for reliance on costly U.S. LNG. Slovakia, along with Hungary, plans to challenge the regulation in court, accusing the European Commission of bypassing unanimity by framing the ban as a trade measure. Despite EU approval, the decision has exposed fresh fault lines over energy security, sovereignty and the long-term cost of decoupling from Russian supplies.