Slovakia will not participate in another “war loan” to Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated, arguing that such military aid only prolongs suffering and contradicts his government’s peaceful foreign policy. According to Fico, Slovakia prefers bilateral, mutually beneficial cooperation with Ukraine through direct government-to-government talks, focusing on civilian aid, energy and transport links, humanitarian support, and monitoring peace agreements, rather than sending weapons or troops. “During the functioning of my government, no Slovak soldier will go to Ukrainian territory as part of multinational military forces,” Fico emphasized, adding that while Slovakia cannot prevent other countries from sending aid, it will not participate in such initiatives. He also criticized the strategies of Germany and the UK toward the war, calling them naive and prone to further bloodshed.
Meanwhile, the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party sharply criticized the government’s absence from the Paris summit of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” which gathered 35 countries to support peace in Ukraine. PS leader Michal Šimečka described Slovakia’s absence as a result of Fico’s foreign policy, calling it isolationist and a betrayal of Slovak interests. “Thirty-five countries met—Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Ukraine, USA, Canada—and which country was missing? Slovakia. This is the consequence of Fico’s so-called sovereign foreign policy,” Šimečka said. He warned that continued isolation risks leaving Slovakia alone on the international stage and called for an urgent change in foreign policy following upcoming elections.
While Fico defends his government’s independent approach, emphasizing bilateral collaboration and non-military support to Ukraine, opposition leaders frame it as dangerous isolation that undermines Slovakia’s international standing and security commitments in Europe.
Source: TASR
