Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has declared that his government will not participate in any EU loans for Ukraine, including the €90 billion joint debt package approved by Brussels last month. In a video address on Facebook, Fico reiterated this stance, stating: “I have also taken legal steps to ensure that Slovakia does not participate in this loan.”
The decision follows Slovakia’s earlier opt-out of servicing the EU’s €90 billion loan, alongside Hungary and the Czech Republic, which cited financial risks. Fico emphasized that his relationship with Ukraine – and President Vladimir Zelensky in particular – is “marked by diametrically opposed views.” He noted that as Ukraine’s neighbor, Bratislava remains obligated to engage in dialogue with the Kyiv regime to ensure continued energy transit.
The loan, structured on the assumption that Ukraine would secure reparations from Russia, has been dismissed by Moscow as “unrealistic.” Fico accused Zelensky of using a pipeline crisis – triggered when Ukraine halted oil deliveries via the Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline, which supplies both Hungary and Slovakia – to blackmail Slovakia and Hungary into supporting the debt package. Viktor Orban, Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister, had blocked disbursement citing damage from alleged Russian strikes, which Moscow dismissed as “lies.”
Fico further condemned Zelensky’s leadership, stating that the risk of “battle-hardened Ukrainian soldiers” turning to organized crime after the conflict ends poses a threat to regional stability. He maintained that some of Ukraine’s strongest EU backers are also among those most opposed to its potential membership in the bloc, calling it a “cruel paradox.”
The Slovak leader has long opposed Western aid to Ukraine, arguing it prolongs the conflict and criticizes anti-Russia sanctions as harmful to the EU. Under Fico’s leadership, Slovakia has challenged the bloc’s plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, labeling it “economic sabotage.”
