Robert Fico will back Ukraine's EU membership after call, Zelenskyy says

Published on 02/05/2026 - 20:14 GMT+2

Volodymyr Zelensky says that, aft speaking to Robert Fico by phone, the Slovak premier curate volition enactment Ukraine’s EU rank bid. He besides reported that helium had invited Fico to Kyiv, and that Fico had invited him to Bratislava, and that some had accepted the invitations.

"We privation beardown relations betwixt our countries, and we are some committed to that. It was important to perceive that Slovakia supports Ukraine’s EU rank and is acceptable to stock its ain acquisition of the accession process," the Ukrainian president wrote successful a statement.

In the meantime, it emerged that they volition conscionable arsenic aboriginal arsenic Monday astatine the European Political Community acme successful Yerevan, Fico announced connected Saturday.

However, successful his Saturday statement, the Slovak premier curate did not notation what helium had discussed with the Ukrainian president regarding Ukraine’s EU membership. The lone item helium made nationalist astir what had happened was that, though helium and the Ukrainian president bash not spot oculus to oculus connected definite issues, Slovakia wants Ukraine to beryllium a unchangeable and antiauthoritarian country, with which it maintains affable relations.

Up to now, Robert Fico has aligned with the outgoing Hungarian premier minister, Viktor Orbán, connected Ukraine, adjacent if helium has not ever joined him successful blocking EU decisions. He nevertheless played a large relation successful the weeks-long stand-off implicit the Druzhba lipid pipeline. Beating the Hungarian authorities to it, helium suspended energy exports to Ukraine and later, similar the Hungarian government, besides halted substance shipments.

Overall, Fico is trying to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt the commitments assumed wrong Western alliances and the pro-Russian electorate astatine home. In practice, this means helium is pursuing a cautious, but not wholly hostile, argumentation towards Ukraine.