Slovak government approves joining compensation commission for Ukraine despite Russian threats

The Slovak government has approved a proposal to join the Convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine, over which Russia's Foreign Ministry had contacted Slovakia.

Source: Slovak newspaper Denník N, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Slovakia had planned to join the convention earlier, but Prime Minister Robert Fico eventually withdrew his signature. However, he has now reconsidered his position, as demonstrated by the government's decision adopted on 2 September.

Fico confirmed that negotiations on the issue had been suspended last week on his instructions.

On Wednesday, after a government meeting in Nitra, the prime minister said that "it is perfectly normal" for another state to express disagreement with a particular decision.

"Yes, it is true. Yesterday I learned from our ambassador about information from the Russian side that they do not like this convention on the claims commission," Fico acknowledged, as quoted by Teraz.sk.

Meenahwile, he dismissed the "opposition's hysteria", which he said is evident in this case. "Last week, we suspended negotiations on the issue to clarify some details, and today we approved it," he said.

He stressed that the creation of the claims commission is provided for by a Council of Europe convention and, although the commission's subsequent decisions are not legally binding, he described the convention as a strong political gesture.

Slovakia's accession to the convention still requires parliamentary ratification.

Background:

• Previously, Slovak politician Ivan Novotný from the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party said that Russia may have pressured Robert Fico's government not to join the Convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine.
• Novotný said Slovakia was due to sign the Convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine in July this year.
• However, Fico eventually withdrew his signature. According to Novotný, Russia had threatened Bratislava into making this move.
• The Convention establishing the International Claims Commission within the institutional framework of the Council of Europe is the second component of the international compensation mechanism, alongside the Register of Damage.
• The document was opened for signature on 16 December 2025 during a high-level diplomatic conference in The Hague. At the time, 35 states and the European Union signed it – a record number. Among EU countries, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria did not sign the document.

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