Fico Complained That Merz Had Harshly Berated Him

The Slovak prime minister has come under a barrage of criticism from the German chancellor.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico claims he came under a barrage of criticism from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz when he refused to support anti-Russian sanctions.

This was reported by Denník N.

Funding for Ukraine and the formation of the European Union’s long-term budget have become the two issues at the center of disputes among EU member states in recent weeks.

On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz linked these issues and stated that he would block the adoption of the EU’s general budget unless all member states agree to continue financial support for Ukraine after 2027.

“What the Federal Chancellor is doing is typical blackmail, and I reject it,” Fico said.

The Slovak prime minister emphasized that his country, like Germany, has the right of veto and can also independently determine its position on important issues.

“The great Germans say something, so should we just run after it? No, we won’t,” Fico said.

It is important to note that Merz is attempting to influence the positions of Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. These countries have previously stated that they will not participate in further funding for Kyiv. Bulgaria will likely take a similar stance.

Robert Fico, who previously linked support for anti-Russian sanctions to the prospect of increased imports of Russian energy resources into the EU, views Merz’s actions as blackmail. He also emphasized that Slovakia will not agree to allocate “even a single euro to Ukraine.”

“What kind of nonsense is this? What do they want from me? Am I supposed to be afraid that the German chancellor is saying something?... We won’t put up with this crap from the German chancellor,” the Slovak prime minister declared.

Fico then recalled a conversation with Merz that took place after he blocked another round of anti-Russian sanctions last year.

“I remember the first conversation with him, when he called me and yelled into the phone, asking what I was doing by blocking sanctions against the Russian Federation, since this affected Slovak interests. He also threatened to cut off all our funding, and I don’t know what else,” Fico said angrily.

Reports of the politicians’ phone conversation first surfaced back in January of this year. At that time, it was known that they had discussed the Slovak government’s critical stance toward the European Union’s development course.

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