Slovak PM Fico vows to block "reparations loan" for Ukraine

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said under no circumstances would he support the European Commission's proposal to provide Ukraine with a reparations loan funded from frozen Russian assets if the money is to be used for military purposes.

Source: Fico's speech in the Slovak parliament on 11 December, a video of which he posted on X (Twitter)

Details: The head of the Slovak government said he had sent an official letter to António Costa, President of the European Council. In it, Fico warned that at the upcoming EU leaders' summit he would block any decisions that involve funding Ukraine's military needs for 2026-2027.

Quote: "I have long and unequivocally expressed my position on the military conflict in Ukraine. There is no military solution to this conflict, the European Union's strategy towards the conflict is wrong and ineffective, and the continuation of the war is nothing but senseless killing without strengthening Ukraine's position in possible peace negotiations."

"I cannot, and will not under any pressure, endorse any solution to support Ukraine's military expenditures in which the Slovak Republic would participate. At the same time, I respect the sovereign right of each member state of the European Union to adopt a different solution on a voluntary basis."

Details: Fico said the main reason for this stance is his "policy of peace", which prevents him from "voting in favour of prolonging military conflict, because providing tens of billions of euros for military spending is prolonging the war".

Separately, the Slovak prime minister voiced support for US President Donald Trump's "peace initiatives". In Fico's view, using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's defence needs could threaten US plans, since Trump is supposedly counting on using these resources for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction.

Fico also turned to criticism of Ukraine, citing "the information we jointly share about corruption scandals". In addition, he reproached Kyiv for stopping gas transit, which he said had caused losses to his country.

At the same time, Fico insisted that his government remains a "solid and solidarity-minded actor" on humanitarian issues. He recalled that Slovakia has taken in almost 200,000 Ukrainian refugees, is working on new energy and rail links, and is refurbishing border crossings.

On EU integration, Fico said he supports Ukraine's accession to the EU, but noted that the number of sceptics among member states regarding Kyiv's rapid accession is growing.

Background:

• The leaders of seven EU member states have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, calling for frozen Russian assets to be used to provide Ukraine with a so-called "reparations loan".
• Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has said he would not rule out taking legal action if the European Commission approves a plan for using frozen Russian assets that he finds unacceptable.
• The Financial Times reported that the EU intends to fast-track a law on the indefinite blocking of Russian assets worth €210 billion in order to prevent a veto by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

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