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EU gives Fico a vague pledge – he is satisfied
Prime Minister Robert Fico boards a plane at M. R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava before departing for an emergency meeting of European Union member state leaders in Brussels on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (source: TASR - Martin Žigo)
Prime Minister Robert Fico deployed brinkmanship to secure what he wanted at an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. Since March 1, he had repeatedly warned through the media that he would block the summit’s conclusions on Ukraine unless they included a reference to restoring gas transit through Ukraine – halted by Slovakia’s eastern neighbour at the start of the year.
According to Fico, the decision harms Slovakia, Europe, and even Ukraine – but not Russia, which, he argued, benefits from higher gas prices. He called it “a farce” that Ukraine had stopped the transit of Russian gas through its territory, only to buy the same gas from European traders shipping it west to east.
On March 1, Fico declared on social media that Slovakia would demand an “explicit call for the resumption of gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia and western Europe”. He reiterated this on March 3, again speaking of a “clear demand”. On the day of the summit, just hours before departing for Brussels, he told the parliamentary committee on European affairs that unless the conclusions contained “any mention, in any form, of the need to restore gas transit”, he would block them entirely.
Yet the final wording in the summit’s conclusions on Ukraine was notably vague: “The European Council calls on the Commission, Slovakia, and Ukraine to intensify efforts towards finding workable solutions to the gas transit issue, while taking into consideration the concerns raised by Slovakia.”
For Fico, however, that appeared to be enough. Despite his earlier threats, he – unlike Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – raised no objections to the conclusions. Judging by his brief statement on social media, he may even see it as a victory.
“The EU member states have acknowledged that the halt of gas transit through Ukraine is a problem that threatens the entire Union,” he said.
A hard line on Ukraine: Despite offering no objections at the summit, Fico remains steadfast in his refusal to support Ukraine financially or militarily, insisting that Slovakia will not back the war. He has, however, repeatedly acknowledged the need for Europe to strengthen its own defence, which is why he did not oppose the summit’s conclusions on defence.
Activists unfurl a large banner in support of Ukraine outside the European Council building ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (source: AP - Omar Havana)
Macron’s nuclear umbrella: Ahead of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of Europe’s nuclear deterrent. As the EU’s only nuclear power, France is open to extending its nuclear umbrella to protect Europe, but Macron insists that the decision to use nuclear weapons should rest solely with the French head of state. Fico made clear his opposition to Macron’s proposal on Thursday morning. “I do not want Slovakia to be part of France’s nuclear umbrella,” he told the parliamentary committee, adding that he opposed the idea of the French president deciding where nuclear weapons could be used. Britain, which also possesses nuclear weapons, participates in NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group. Germany is among the European countries that host US nuclear weapons under NATO’s nuclear sharing policy. France, by contrast, operates independently, giving it greater autonomy over its nuclear policy.
A workout controversy: Fico spent just an hour at Thursday’s committee meeting. During the discussion, he casually mentioned that he had been exercising for an hour and a half beforehand. Opposition MP Vladimíra Marcinková seized on the remark, criticising him for spending more time at the gym than at the meeting. She and other opposition figures also accused Fico of avoiding questions from opposition leader Michal Šimečka and others by leaving the room. His absence from informal summits in London and Paris – meetings he has dismissed as “war councils” – has fuelled further criticism. At the meeting, Fico reiterated his belief that the war had strengthened Russia and that neither Ukraine nor Europe had any chance of defeating it.
Looking ahead: The European Council is set to meet again on March 20-21, 2025.
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Iran’s plan: Tehran is weighing a direct air link to Bratislava, Iran’s new envoy to Slovakia has revealed.
Hitting the brakes: Slovakia’s housing sector is in freefall, with new home completions plummeting to their lowest level since 2017.
Fico’s foreign policy under fire: Róbert Ondrejcsák, Slovakia’s outgoing ambassador to the UK, has torched his country’s foreign policy, calling it “irrelevant, damaging, and tragically misguided”.
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SLOVAKS ABROAD
Hiding my Slovak roots
(source: Albert Kovanis, Jr.)
Growing up in the United States during the Cold War, Albert Kovanis’s school geography lessons framed Czechoslovakia as an ally of the Soviet Union – an ‘enemy’ of the democracy he lived in. Although his Slovak grandparents were intelligent, hardworking, and loving, he felt uneasy admitting their origins. For years, he kept his heritage hidden. It was not until later in life that he began to embrace his family’s legacy with pride.
YOUNG CYNIC
PM Fico’s chief adviser calls Russia a more reliable neighbour than Ukraine
While his uncle, Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák, suggested last week that Ukraine should simply stop defending itself against Russia—arguing that “Russians always leave eventually”—MEP and prime ministerial adviser Erik Kaliňák took things even further. In an interview this week, he remarked that Russia would be a more reliable neighbour for Slovakia than Ukraine.
“I’ll be a cynic. At least we’d finally have a reliable neighbour,” he said when asked what he would think if Russian troops were stationed in Uzhhorod, a city near Slovakia’s border with Ukraine.
Despite the provocative statement, Kaliňák insisted he was not advocating for Russian troops at Slovakia’s doorstep. “I don’t want Ukraine to surrender. My ambition is to negotiate some kind of peace,” he said, adding, “You fight a war if you have a chance to win.”
The MEP also argued that Ukraine should hold presidential elections despite the ongoing war. In his view, they would still be democratic, even if not everyone had the opportunity to vote. He also claimed to have seen at least three polls showing low support for President Volodymyr Zelensky but was unable to recall any specific sources. Like Prime Minister Robert Fico, Kaliňák dismissed the idea that Russia could one day attack Slovakia, though he was less certain about the Baltics. While he believed Moscow was not currently in a position to launch an invasion there, he did not rule out the possibility in the future. He also expressed scepticism that the United States would come to Slovakia’s aid in the event of an attack, claiming that “the Americans would send us one ambulance and maybe one helicopter.”
Backlash over controversial comments: Kaliňák’s remarks drew swift condemnation, including from President Peter Pellegrini, who suggested the MEP was simply trying to attract attention. The Ukrainian embassy in Slovakia also criticised his statements, announcing its intention to request a formal explanation from the Foreign Ministry regarding the “inappropriate comments” made by a representative of the ruling Smer party. However, Kaliňák found support from his friend and Smer MP Richard Glück, who defended him by insisting that his comments were meant as “satire”.
IN OTHER NEWS
Ľuboš Blaha, an MEP from Slovakia’s ruling Smer party, met with the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, in Moscow on Wednesday. Blaha also held talks with Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov and Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma’s foreign affairs committee. He was accompanied by David Lindtner, an adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico. Blaha once again praised Russia while criticising the decline of the West. His last visit to Moscow in October saw him apologising for what he called “Russophobia in the West”.
Slovakia’s Foreigners’ Police will allow all foreign nationals to visit its offices without prior appointments for three mornings in March. Applicants will be able to resolve issues related to residence permits, studies, or permanent residency without booking in advance.
A thick cloud of Saharan dust is expected to reach Slovakia in the coming days, bringing reduced visibility and worsening air quality, meteorologists have warned.
Municipal police in Bratislava detained a thief at a hosiery shop, handing him over to state police—only for him to escape custody, SME reported. The regional police directorate later confirmed the incident.
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár welcomed Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, in Bratislava on March 6, 2025. (source: TASR - Jakub Kotian)
The opposition Slovensko movement, led by former Prime Minister Igor Matovič, has urged Progressive Slovakia (PS), the country’s strongest opposition party, to withdraw its request for an extraordinary parliamentary session on a financial transaction tax. The party warned that the session could inadvertently allow the ruling coalition to secure a parliamentary majority, as Miroslav Radačovský is set to be sworn in as an MP, replacing Rudolf Huliak, who became minister of sport and tourism on Wednesday. PS, however, remains committed to holding the session.
Slovakia has sold out its entire €500 million issuance of retail bonds in less than four days, the Finance Ministry announced. After two-year bonds sold out earlier in the week, the remaining four-year securities were snapped up by investors on Thursday morning.
President Peter Pellegrini has criticised those who deny the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, calling it “an insult to all victims and their families”. Speaking on the fifth anniversary of the virus’s outbreak, he recalled that Slovakia lost more than 20,000 lives to the disease.
FRIDAY WEATHER BRIEFING: Expect a mix of small clouds and slightly bigger clouds. Friday will be unseasonably warm. Daytime highs will reach a pleasant 14 to 21°C. A light breeze will make an appearance, mostly from the southeast in the southern half of western Slovakia, reaching up to 25 km/h. (SHMÚ)
Skiers on a snow-covered slope during the spring holidays at the Skiland resort in Stará Myjava, western Slovakia, on Monday, March 3, 2025. (source: TASR - Martin Medňanský)
PARTY TIME: March 7 is Tomáš’s special day, so if you know one, don’t forget to send him your warmest wishes. Všetko najlepšie!
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