Slovakia will stop blocking the approval of the 18th package of European Union sanctions against Russia on Friday, Prime Minister Robert Fico said.

Slovakia accepted guarantees from the European Union’s executive arm to limit the fallout from a planned cutoff of Russian gas supplies and, in exchange, will lift its veto on the bloc’s 18th sanctions package against Moscow.

The European Union failed for a second day to approve a new package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday as Slovakia continued to seek concessions over gas supplies, four EU diplomats told Reuters.

The German government said it won't accept a proposal by the European Commission to boost the long-term EU budget to a total volume of €2 trillion ($2. 3 trillion) for the years 2028 to 2034.

The EU executive proposed on Wednesday a long-term budget boosted to two trillion euros ($2.3 trillion) as Europe confronts complex challenges, from overseas competition to Russian aggression at its borders.