Slovakia is interested in receiving natural gas from Romania's Neptun Deep offshore project, Prime Minister Robert Fico stated on Friday, as supplies from Russia are set to be cut off next year.

Fico made the remarks during a televised briefing in Bucharest alongside Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Bolojan. "We have expressed interest and stated that if Romania intends to export this gas beyond its own territory—not just for domestic consumption—Slovakia is willing to utilize existing infrastructure and would be interested in acquiring this gas on a commercial basis," he said.

Last month, a Romanian official indicated that Hungary and Germany have also shown interest in obtaining gas from the Black Sea project, though it is still hoped that the Romanian economy will make use of as much of the resource as possible.

The Neptun Deep project is one of the European Union's most significant natural gas fields, with estimated recoverable reserves of 100 billion cubic meters.

The project is jointly owned by Romanian oil and gas group OMV Petrom and state-owned natural gas producer Romgaz. It is proceeding according to schedule, with first gas production expected in 2027.

Despite EU efforts to end energy dependence on Moscow following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Slovakia remains reliant on Russian oil and gas supplies.

The EU plans to phase out imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027.

Last year, approximately one-third of Slovakia's natural gas came from Russia, but the country is seeking to increase these import levels before the EU ban takes effect.