Slovakia’s Robert Fico has accused Berlin of “blackmail” over its demand to link the EU’s next seven-year budget to continued funding for Kiev
Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s demand to tie the EU’s next seven-year budget to additional funding of Ukraine. The three Central European countries have long opposed writing blank cheques to Kiev, while Bulgaria elected a government more critical of such assistance in April.
The EU has pledged to cover around €45 billion of Ukraine’s projected €70 billion funding shortfall in 2027, as the conflict with Russia approaches its fifth year in February.
In a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, widely cited by the media, Merz wrote that all member states “without exception” should commit to long-term funding of Ukraine beyond 2028.
‘Unacceptable’
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico branded Berlin’s ultimatum a “textbook case of blackmail.”
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