Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has described as blackmail German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s threat to block the European Union (EU) budget if financial aid to Ukraine is not continued.
Globalinfo.az reports that he made the remarks before a joint meeting of the Slovak and Czech governments.
Merz sent a letter to European Council President António Costa, threatening to block approval of the EU budget for 2028-2034 if all EU member states do not agree to continue financial support for Kyiv in 2027 and beyond.
“We must respond to this. It is typical blackmail by the federal chancellor, and I reject it,” Fico said.
He recalled that Slovakia has the same veto right as Germany and, as a sovereign state, has the right to express its position.
Fico said he would discuss the matter with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
For his part, Babiš called on the European Union to play a more active role in talks on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
“We must strive for this. We are paying for all of this, directly and indirectly, through energy prices and other means. It is unacceptable for Americans to negotiate on our behalf,” he said.
It should be noted that at an informal summit to be held in Dublin on November 12-13, EU leaders will discuss the shortfall in funding Ukraine’s budget. The amount is expected to reach about 70 billion euros next year. The European Union wants to cover two-thirds of it — 45 billion euros. Four countries — Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic — refuse to contribute to additional financial aid for Ukraine.
Aliyar Khalil
Globalinfo.az
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