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.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also called for a common diplomatic strategy. He pointed out that the European Union had not even been invited to this week's trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi. According to him Europe must act as a political player actively contributing to ending the conflict, rather than simply providing financial support to deal with its consequences. He added that Europe was paying for the war while being left out of the decisions, despite being among those most affected by it.
Beyond Ukraine, the two prime ministers also found common ground on the EU's planned emissions trading system, known as ETS2. Under the proposal, due to take effect in 2028, carbon costs would also extend to households, rather than applying only to large companies. Both Fico and Babiš argued that introducing the system under the current economic conditions would place an additional financial burden on ordinary citizens. They said Slovakia and the Czech Republic would seek support from the other Visegrad Four countries to send Brussels a joint letter calling for the mechanism to be reconsidered.
Source: STVR
