Fico says Slovakia will seek opt-out from another EU loan to Ukraine

Slovakia will seek an exemption from any new European Union loan mechanism for Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on October 14. He said Bratislava would not prevent other countries from financing Kyiv but would not take part itself.

Fico first set out that position at a meeting with Slovak lawmakers. Later, after talks among Visegrad Group prime ministers in Brussels, he reiterated that Slovakia intended to request an opt-out.

He warned against combining a further Ukraine loan with negotiations on the EU’s long-term budget for 2028–2034. Fico said support for individual countries’ budget demands should not be made conditional on their participation in financing Ukraine.

The existing EU loan programme provides €90 billion for Ukraine in 2026–2027. Of that amount, €60 billion is intended for defence procurement and €30 billion for budget support. Slovakia, Hungary and Czechia are not participating in backing that loan.