Slovakia will not support any further financial grants or loans for Ukraine within the European Union. Prime Minister Robert Fico (SMER-SD) said this following a joint meeting of the Slovak and Czech governments in Bratislava.
He was responding to a report by the Financial Times that Germany could veto the EU’s long-term budget unless all member states agree to provide another loan to Kyiv. The possibility was reportedly mentioned by Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a letter to the European Council. However, the German leader has since reiterated his support for further budget negotiations, including discussions on collective financial assistance for Ukraine.
Fico described the reported move as blackmail. He said Slovakia would never support another 70-billion-euro loan for Ukraine. He added that the country would instead make use of the so-called opt-out mechanism, allowing other member states to proceed with the financial assistance if they wish.
Together with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, he also called for a united European approach to ending the war in Ukraine. Fico argued that while EU member states continue to provide financial support to Ukraine, the bloc itself remains largely absent from the negotiating table. He suggested European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič as a possible EU representative in the talks.