Fico demands EU compensation for equipment transferred to Ukraine and wants to reform V4 format

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico intends to personally discuss the issue of financial compensation for military equipment transferred to Ukraine with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

This is reported by the Slovak outlet Aktuality.

According to Fico, a severe shortage of funds has emerged in this area. He outlined his position following the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat, Montenegro.

“This is a problem of an acute shortage of financial resources, as the funds that were supposed to be used for reimbursement were directly redirected to aid Ukraine,” Fico stated.

In addition to the compensation issue, the Slovak prime minister wants to discuss the topic of arms supplies to Ukraine with the Visegrád Four countries. At the summit, Fico also raised the question of the V4 format. In July, Slovakia will assume the chairmanship of the group, and Fico advocates for it to function in an expanded V4+ format with the participation of prominent EU representatives.

“I expect that the President of the European Commission will soon join us as well, since V4 plus the President of the European Commission is a format that can resolve quite a few issues,” Fico noted.

Earlier, UNIAN reported that Fico criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s idea of granting Ukraine “associate member” status in the EU. In the Slovak prime minister’s view, the proposal would not find sufficient support among EU members. Fico stressed that the path to EU membership requires candidates to fulfill conditions, and that this is a lengthy process.

Following his visit to Moscow for the May 9 parade, Fico stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should call Russian President Vladimir Putin himself if he is interested in meeting with him. According to Fico, it was precisely the idea of a meeting with Putin in any format that Zelensky asked him to convey to the Kremlin chief. In response, Putin told Fico that Zelensky should contact him by phone. Fico also noted that diplomatic efforts and dialogue are “a thousand times more useful” than “unnecessary killings.”