Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico intends to raise the issue of financial compensation for the equipment transferred to Ukraine during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The politician made this statement following the conclusion of the summit of the European Union and the Western Balkans, which took place in Montenegro.
Financial issues and aid to Kyiv
According to Fico, he plans to discuss this issue at the upcoming summit, which will take place later this month. The head of the Slovak government emphasized that the situation regarding the financing of aid has created an acute shortage of resources in the country.
"This is a problem of an acute shortage of financial resources, because the resources that should have been used to pay for something were directed directly to Ukraine," noted the Prime Minister, pointing to the reallocation of budget funds.
Prospects for the Visegrád Group
In addition to financing issues, the summit addressed the format of the Visegrád Group (V4). Robert Fico expressed hope that after Slovakia assumes the chairmanship of the group in July, the cooperation format will change. The Prime Minister is counting on a transition to a V4+ format involving key representatives of the European Union.
The Visegrád Group traditionally consists of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The bloc was created as a platform to promote the interests of Central Europe within the EU, but in recent years its influence has significantly weakened. The reason for this has been the contradictions between the government of Hungarian ex-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the pro-European authorities in Poland.
Who could lead negotiations with Russia?
Against the backdrop of discussions about the future of Ukraine and the role of EU countries in the region, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš proposed the candidacy of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to lead negotiations on ending Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
Among the possible candidates, the name of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also mentioned. However, the ex-leader of Germany has already made it clear that she does not plan to take on such a role.