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Brussels – Slovakia has for the first time refused to support the conclusions of the European Council on Ukraine. The reason is to ensure that nobody associates Bratislava with being part of any “military” loan from the European Union for Kyiv. I kept my word, declared Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Brussels on Friday after the summit of the leaders of the member states. He described the negotiations as difficult, reports TASR’s special correspondent.
The leaders of 25 EU member states in a joint statement called for continued work on the technical and legal aspects of the instruments needed to establish a reparations loan financed from frozen Russian assets in the Union. Slovakia and Hungary did not join this. Robert Fico emphasized that the government will never agree with this initiative.
“Ukraine does not need weapons, but above all money for reconstruction,” Fico emphasized, pointing to several projects within bilateral cooperation, for example a school for Ukrainian children in Slovakia.
The use of frozen Russian assets is associated with enormous risks
According to Fico, there are disagreements among the member states on the use of frozen Russian assets. “It is associated with enormous risks,” noted the Slovak prime minister, adding that he understands the concerns of Belgium, where most of such held assets in the Union are located. According to him, peace in Ukraine was once again not discussed during the summit.
At the meeting in the night to Friday, EU leaders agreed that the European Union will provide Ukraine with a loan financed from joint debt in the amount of 90 billion euros for the years 2026 and 2027. However, Slovakia, Czechia and Hungary negotiated an exemption. They will not join the joint guarantees related to the loan and will also not repay the 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 peace negotiations. “It is a deadly mistake,” he declared.
In addition to the European Council meeting, the issue of EU enlargement was also addressed at Wednesday’s summit of the Union with the Western Balkan countries. He described it as unsuccessful. According to him, many leaders of the twenty-seven were missing from the main part of the talks. This “does not add confidence to the process of accession to the EU… A lot of general talk, without any concrete promises,” he noted.
He regrets that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić deliberately did not attend the meeting. According to him, the EU uses double standards in the accession process. “Serbia, as a proud and sovereign country, belongs to the group that is being slowed down,” Fico stated. He described Albania and Montenegro as very well-prepared countries for entry into the euro bloc. “The Slovak Republic supports enlargement to include the Western Balkan countries,” added the prime minister. (19 December)