Slovakia will block any European Union sanctions against Russia that damage the country’s interests, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday.

His remarks come after the Slovak parliament on Thursday approved a resolution calling on the government in Bratislava not to vote in favor of new EU sanctions on Russia.

“If there is a sanction that would harm us, I will never vote for it,” Fico told a televised news conference on Sunday. “I am interested in being a constructive player in the European Union, but not at the expense of the Slovak Republic.”

Fico said he considered the parliamentary resolution a “strong political tool that I will be able to rely on.”

Under Fico, who hails from the leftist-populist Smer party, EU and NATO member Slovakia has broken ranks with Western allies on Ukraine. Bratislava has halted official military aid to Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Still, Fico’s government has not blocked any of the 17 EU sanctions packages against Russia so far. The EU is currently working on its 18th package of measures against Moscow.