Bratislava earlier opted out of the \u20ac90 billion joint debt loan package for Ukraine approved by the bloc last month<\/p>\n
Slovakia won\u2019t participate in any EU loans for Ukraine, including the \u20ac90 billion ($106 billion) joint debt package approved by Brussels last month, Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.
\nSlovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic had earlier opted out of servicing the loan, citing financial risks. In a video address on Facebook on Sunday, Fico reiterated that his government would not take part in either the current package or any future ones.
\n\u201cIt is well known that I refused to support the \u20ac90 billion war loan for Ukraine. I have also taken legal steps to ensure that Slovakia does not participate in this loan,\u201d he said. \u201cSlovakia will not take part in any further announced loans for Ukraine.\u201d
\nThe loan, backed by joint EU borrowing, is structured on the assumption that it would be repaid if Kiev secures reparations from Russia, a prospect Moscow has dismissed as \u201cunrealistic.\u201d The loan was floated after plans to seize Russia\u2019s frozen sovereign assets to fund Kiev failed following a months-long standoff between Brussels and Hungary\u2019s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban.<\/p>\n
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EU approves \u20ac90 bn for Ukraine \u00a0<\/p>\n
Orban blocked its disbursement 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 the claims as \u201clies,\u201d while Orban and Fico accused Ukraine\u2019s Vladimir Zelensky of using the move to \u201cblackmail\u201d the two energy-dependent states into backing the loan Kiev needs to prop up its collapsing economy.
\nThe EU approved the package shortly after supplies resumed, less than two weeks after Hungary\u2019s election saw Orban\u2019s Fidesz party defeated by the pro-EU Tisza party led by Peter Magyar. Hungary\u2019s incoming prime minister said he would uphold Orban\u2019s decision not to join the \u20ac90 billion loan, but pledged not to veto EU funding for Kiev.<\/p>\n
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EU will bankroll Ukraine regardless of Hungarian election outcome \u2013 Kremlin<\/p>\n
In his video address, Fico noted that his relationship with Kiev \u2013 and Zelensky in particular \u2013 \u201cis marked by diametrically opposed views\u201d on numerous topics, but noted that being Ukraine\u2019s neighbor obliges Bratislava \u201cto engage in dialogue\u201d with the Kiev regime, in particular to ensure continued energy transit.
\nFico said he held a call with Zelensky on Sunday to discuss future meetings and visits. While Zelensky claimed after the call he had secured Fico\u2019s backing for Ukraine\u2019s EU bid, the Slovak leader downplayed this, saying he merely sees \u201cmore advantages\u2026 than disadvantages\u201d in potential membership, including reducing the risk of \u201cbattle-hardened Ukrainian soldiers\u201d turning to organized crime and posing risks to nearby states after the conflict ends. He noted, however, that some of Kiev\u2019s strongest backers in the EU are also among the most opposed to its membership, calling it \u201ca cruel paradox.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Baltic states to deny airspace to Fico\u2019s plane for Moscow Victory Day trip<\/p>\n
Fico has long opposed Western aid to Kiev, saying it prolongs the conflict, and has criticized anti-Russia sanctions as harmful to the EU. Under his leadership, Bratislava \u2013 along with Budapest \u2013 has challenged\u00a0the bloc\u2019s plan to phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, calling it \u201ceconomic sabotage.\u201d He maintains close ties with Russia and plans to attend the 2026 Victory Day parade in Moscow later this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bratislava earlier opted out of the \u20ac90 billion joint debt loan package for Ukraine approved by the bloc last month Slovakia won\u2019t participate in any EU loans for Ukraine, including…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34729,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t