Slovakia\u2019s Robert Fico has accused Berlin of \u201cblackmail\u201d over its demand to link the EU\u2019s next seven-year budget to continued funding for Kiev<\/p>\n
Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s demand to tie the EU\u2019s next seven-year budget to additional funding of Ukraine.\u00a0The three Central European countries have long opposed writing blank cheques to Kiev, while Bulgaria elected a government more critical of such assistance in April.
\nThe EU has pledged to cover around \u20ac45 billion of Ukraine\u2019s projected \u20ac70 billion funding shortfall in 2027, as the conflict with Russia approaches its fifth year in February.
\nIn a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, widely cited by the media, Merz wrote that all member states \u201cwithout exception\u201d should commit to long-term funding of Ukraine beyond 2028.\u00a0
\n\u2018Unacceptable\u2019
\nSlovak Prime Minister Robert Fico branded Berlin\u2019s ultimatum a \u201ctextbook case of blackmail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Berlin counts billions spent at home as Ukraine aid \u2013 study<\/p>\n
\u201cToday will not be business as usual \u2013 not by a long shot. Today, we must respond to blackmail,\u201d he told journalists at a joint press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Bratislava on Tuesday. \u201cWe have an equal say in this matter,\u201d he said, adding that his country would not be a part of any loans to Ukraine.\u00a0
\nBabis also rejected Merz\u2019s demand, saying Prague would not be \u201cin any subordinate position.\u201d He said that Ukraine has received \u20ac520 billion from the EU since 2022 and that the bloc\u2019s budget already includes additional \u20ac100 billion in funding for Kiev.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t understand why someone wants to block the budget when Ukraine has so much money. The question is whether it should be [in] the budget at all,\u201d Babis said.\u00a0
\nHungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who traveled to Berlin for talks with Merz on Tuesday, said linking the EU budget with Ukraine aid was \u201cunacceptable\u201d and that Budapest was focusing on curbing its own budget deficit. He further argued that the bloc should prioritize helping its own citizens and businesses.
\nBulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen the same day, also stressed the need to handle Bulgaria\u2019s own deficit. He noted that Bulgaria was already supporting Ukraine through electricity exports, restoration of energy and railway infrastructure, and helping refugees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Zelensky treating Europe as his \u2018personal ATM\u2019 \u2013 MEP<\/p>\n
\u2018Task for all of us\u2019
\nSpeaking at a joint press conference with Magyar in Berlin, Merz described long-term support for Ukraine as \u201ca common European task\u201d and said continued funding for Kiev must be reflected in the EU\u2019s next budget to make it \u201cfit for the future.\u201d\u00a0
\n\u201cThis is a question of collective European security and thus a task for all of us,\u201d Merz said.\u00a0
\nGermany has become Ukraine\u2019s largest individual military donor as US assistance has fallen sharply since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. It has provided or earmarked \u20ac57.6 billion in military aid and \u20ac43.3 billion in civilian assistance since 2022.
\nHowever, only around 40% of the roughly \u20ac100 billion reported by Berlin qualifies as actual bilateral aid to Ukraine, according to an October report by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW). The institute found that more than 80% of the reported civilian assistance was spent in Germany, mostly on Ukrainian refugees. Another \u20ac1.3 billion consisted of export and investment guarantees for German companies operating in Ukraine.
\nThe institute also found that the traceable total of German military aid was \u20ac56.3 billion, \u20ac1.3 billion less than Berlin\u2019s reported figure. Of that amount, \u20ac22 billion consisted of future commitments, including approximately \u20ac12 billion in potential additional spending.
\n\u201cGermany is clearly Europe\u2019s biggest donor to Ukraine. But the German government\u2019s communication about its aid is becoming increasingly confusing,\u201d said Christoph Trebesch, head of the IfW Ukraine Support Tracker team.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
No more \u2018gifts\u2019 to Ukraine \u2013 Slovak PM<\/p>\n
According to the IfW, Berlin stopped providing detailed information on military aid to Kiev in June 2025, roughly a month after Merz took office. The assessment came two months after German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized Kiev for not spending enough of Western-provided financial aid on buying German weapons, arguing that Berlin\u2019s massive support for Ukraine should benefit the German arms manufacturers.
\nGermany amended the constitutional debt brake and passed a 2026 budget allocating a record \u20ac108.2 billion for defense and \u20ac11.5 billion in military aid for Kiev, despite warnings from the German central bank about a looming record budget deficit.
\nAiding Ukraine or\u2026 himself?
\nMerz has faced cratering public support, with an INSA poll showing last week that 82% of Germans were dissatisfied with his work. A similar number said they were dissatisfied with his cabinet, while 60% said their personal well-being got worse during Merz\u2019s time in office.
\nThe chancellor, who came to power as a result of snap elections in February 2025, vowing to revive the struggling economy, has since argued that the welfare state \u201ccan no longer be financed\u201d while announcing social spending cuts.
\n\u201cThis is actually about funding Germany, not Ukraine,\u201d Rachel Marsden, a political columnist, told RT.\u00a0
\n\u201cUkraine is really just a convenient cover story for dropping billions on frontline defense\u2026 when 30 to 40% of that aid actually loops straight back into the German economy to prop up defense giants like Rheinmetall and Diehl,\u201d she argued.
\nMarsden said Merz was \u201cholding a metaphorical knife to Europe\u2019s throat\u201d by threatening to \u201csingle-handedly blow up\u201d the EU budget unless other members get in line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Slovakia\u2019s Robert Fico has accused Berlin of \u201cblackmail\u201d over its demand to link the EU\u2019s next seven-year budget to continued funding for Kiev Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40912,"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-40911","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