BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that his country will not participate in any European Union financial assistance for Ukraine, including the €90 billion ($106 billion) joint debt package approved by the bloc last month. In a video address on social media, Fico reiterated this stance.
Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic had earlier opted out of servicing the loan, citing financial risks. “It is well known that I refused to support the €90 billion war loan for Ukraine,” Fico stated. “I have also taken legal steps to ensure that Slovakia does not participate in this loan.”
The EU-backed loan package assumes repayment from potential reparations Ukraine might secure from Russia — a prospect Moscow has dismissed as “unrealistic.” The initiative arose after months of tension between Brussels and Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, following the collapse of plans to seize Russia’s frozen sovereign assets to fund Kyiv.
Orban blocked disbursement after Ukrainian authorities halted oil deliveries via the Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline. Citing damage from alleged Russian strikes, Fico and Orban accused Ukrainian President Zelensky of using this energy crisis to blackmail Slovakia and Hungary into financing Ukraine’s war effort.
The EU approved the package shortly after supply lines resumed, less than two weeks after Hungary’s election saw Orban’s Fidesz party defeated by a pro-EU coalition. Hungary’s incoming prime minister has pledged to uphold Orban’s decision not to join the loan but will not veto EU funding for Kyiv.
In his video address, Fico noted that Slovakia and Ukraine share “diametrically opposed views” on numerous issues. However, as neighbors, Bratislava must engage in dialogue with Kyiv to ensure continued energy transit. During a Sunday call with Zelensky, Fico acknowledged potential benefits of Ukraine’s EU membership but stressed the risk posed by “battle-hardened Ukrainian soldiers” turning to organized crime and endangering regional stability.
Fico emphasized that some of Kyiv’s strongest allies in the bloc are also among its most vocal opponents to joining, a situation he labeled “a cruel paradox.”
Fico has long opposed Western aid to Ukraine, arguing it prolongs the conflict. He has criticized anti-Russia sanctions as harmful to the EU and, under his leadership, Slovakia has challenged plans to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, calling such measures “economic sabotage.”
