Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Sunday that his country will not participate in any European Union scheme aimed at financing military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Fico said he would “refuse to allow Slovakia to take part in any financial scheme aimed at helping Ukraine manage the war and military spending.”
Fico’s announcement comes as EU leaders recently agreed to address Ukraine’s “pressing financial needs” for the next two years, and held off on formally endorsing a plan to use frozen Russian assets to support a roughly €140 billion loan to Kyiv. Slovakia’s decision marks a clear deviation from many EU states that support military aid to Ukraine.
When Fico’s government took power in 2023, Slovakia stopped state-military aid to Ukraine, though commercial arms sales remained permitted. At a televised news conference, Fico pressed home the point by framing the proposed EU military financing scheme as unacceptable for Slovakia’s budget and strategic outlook.
Fico also attacked EU sanctions on Russia, arguing that they hurt Europe more than Russia, and linked Slovakia’s energy dependence on Russia when highlighting his government’s stance. He noted that Slovakia’s oil refiner Slovnaft is part of Hungary’s MOL group and claimed it was not exposed to forthcoming U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies.
Kyiv has argued that the funds being discussed by the EU, particularly the frozen Russian-asset loan, could be used immediately to bolster Ukraine’s air defence, air fleet and frontline positions. Fico, however, questioned Ukraine’s ability to repay such loans and rejected using Slovakia’s budget guarantees for Ukraine’s military needs.
