Slovakia will not pledge aid to Ukraine at NATO summit, Fico says

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico spoke out on June 27 against NATO's plans to commit large-scale financial and military aid to Ukraine at the Alliance's upcoming summit in Ankara.

Fico's remarks come less than two weeks before the annual NATO summit, which will take place in Turkey July 7-8. President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to attend the conference, where Alliance members will reportedly pledge billions in new weapons and aid packages to Ukraine.

Fico told Slovak media that he opposed the NATO proposals, which he described as "massive." He also said he would conduct negotiations with Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak to ensure Bratislava's delegation arrives at the summit without a mandate to "involve Slovakia in further military loans or financial contributions."

While NATO summits since 2022 centered around Western support for Ukraine amid Russia's all-out invasion and Kyiv's bid to join the alliance, the 2026 summit is expected to test NATO'S unity amid major rifts between the U.S. and other allies. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the focus will be on ramping up defense production across member states.

NATO diplomats told Politico that the summit's draft statement includes a pledge of 70 billion euros (over $79 billion) in military support for Ukraine. The United States, which has dramatically scaled back aid to Ukraine since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office, is not expected to contribute to the aid package.

Fico said Slovakia also opts not to participate in funding Ukraine alongside NATO allies, though he said he cannot prevent other countries that "want to prepare for war."

"Do you know what can happen? A drone will fly here, intentionally or unintentionally, fall on an apartment building, there will be deaths or injuries, and we could have World War III on the table," he said.

"That is why I say for Slovakia: no support for the war, Slovakia will not pay for Ukraine's military expenses."

Fico's comments allude to recent incidents involving drone incursions on NATO territory. In May, a Russian Shahed-type drone struck an apartment building in Romania, close to the border with Ukraine's Odesa Oblast. Russia has disputed the Romanian government's conclusions about the origins of the drone.

Less than a week later, a stray Ukrainian naval drone exploded in the Romanian Black Sea Port of Constanta on June 5, without causing casualties.

Fico has been a longstanding critic of military aid to Ukraine, at times at times echoing Kremlin narratives regarding the war. Relations with Kyiv thawed somewhat after Fico's pro-Russian ally in the European Union, Hungary's Viktor Orban, was voted out of office in April.

In May, Fico and President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Armenia. During the meeting, Zelensky expressed readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a message Fico said he conveyed to the Russian leader on a visit to Moscow.