For the first time, Slovakia refused to support the conclusions of the European Council on Ukraine. The reason is that nobody associates Bratislava with the fact that it will be part of any “military” loan from the European Union to Kyiv. I kept my word, announced the Prime Minister of the SR Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in Brussels on Friday after the summit of the leaders of the member countries. He described the negotiations as difficult, informs the TASR special reporter.
- Slovakia refused to support the conclusions of the European Council on Ukraine.
- Fico emphasized the risks associated with frozen Russian assets.
- The EU approved a loan for Ukraine, Slovakia negotiated an exception.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the 25 EU member states called for continued work on the technical and legal aspects of the instruments needed to establish a reparation loan financed by frozen Russian assets in the Union. Slovakia and Hungary did not join this. Fico emphasized that the government will never agree to this initiative.
Slovakia refuses loans
“Ukraine does not need weapons, but mainly money for reconstruction,” stressed Fico and pointed to several projects in the framework of bilateral cooperation, such as a school for Ukrainian children in Slovakia.
According to Fico, there are disagreements between member states about the use of frozen Russian assets. “It is associated with huge risks,” noted the Slovak prime minister, saying that he understands the concerns of Belgium, where the majority of such assets held in the Union are located. According to him, peace in Ukraine was not discussed again during the summit.
Loan and exemptions
At a meeting on Friday night, EU leaders agreed that the European Union will provide Ukraine with a loan financed by a common debt of 90 billion euros for the years 2026 and 2027. However, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary negotiated an exception. They will not join joint guarantees related to the loan and will not pay interest. Fico added that he cannot prevent other states from participating in such support.
According to him, this aid will not strengthen Ukraine’s position in the peace negotiations. “This is a fatal mistake,” he declared.
Long-term budget and EU enlargement
Other topics of the summit included the long-term EU budget for the years 2028-2034, competitiveness, European defense and security, migration and enlargement. Fico, in his words, in connection with the budget, repeated the Slovak position on the need to protect farmers and the method of financing the cohesion policy, so that the Slovak Republic can erase the differences between regions. “We will have to make huge compromises” when agreeing on the budget, the Prime Minister predicts.
In addition to the meeting of the European Council, the topic of EU enlargement was also discussed at Wednesday’s summit of the Union with the countries of the Western Balkans. He called it a failure. According to him, many leaders of the Group of Twenty were absent from the main part of the negotiations. This “doesn’t add confidence to the EU accession process… Lots of general talk, without any concrete promises,” he noted.
Support for the Balkans
He regrets that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučič deliberately did not attend the meeting. According to him, the EU uses a double standard in the accession process. “Serbia, as a proud and sovereign country, belongs to the group that is slowing down,” said Fico. He identified Albania and Montenegro as very well prepared countries for joining the Eurobloc. “The Slovak Republic supports expansion to the countries of the Western Balkans,” added the prime minister.
