Robert Fico called Berlin’s position blackmail after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that he could block approval of the European Union’s seven-year budget unless member states agree on funding for Ukraine.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also rejected Merz’s demand. The German chancellor wants the issue addressed at the summit of European leaders in Dublin, noting that support for Kyiv is being shouldered mainly by a limited group of member states.
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The EU has already approved a loan of 90 billion euros to cover Ukraine’s military and civilian needs in 2026-2027. Meanwhile, the intensification of Russian attacks has significantly increased the costs of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also requested another 70 billion euros to cover the budget deficit. The European Union has pledged to provide 45 billion euros of that amount. Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria refuse to take part in the next round of funding.
As the largest net contributor to the European budget, Germany is calling on all member states to contribute financially to Ukraine before an agreement is reached on the EU budget for 2028-2034.
