Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened on 8 March to block Ukraine's €90bn EU loan and announced Slovakia would take Hungary's place doing so if needed, Reuters reported.
Fico announces loan veto threat
Fico made the announcement in a Facebook video on 8 March.
"Slovakia is ready to take over the baton from Hungary, if necessary," he said. He added: "Blocking this huge military gift to Ukraine is a legitimate tool to achieve the restoration of oil supplies."
He heads to Paris on 10 March to meet EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, where he plans to push for expert access to the Druzhba pipeline's damaged section in Ukraine. The EU Commission said earlier it was exploring ways to restore oil flows, including potential financial assistance.
Russia struck the pipeline. Hungary and Slovakia blame Ukraine.
A Russian drone strike severely damaged the Druzhba pipeline near Brody in western Ukraine on 27 January. Ukraine says repairs are impossible to carry out quickly under constant threat of further Russian attacks, and could take up to six weeks under ceasefire conditions.
Hungary and Slovakia reject this account. Both governments claim Kyiv is deliberately delaying the restart for political reasons, and have demanded expert access to the damaged section.
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The escalating pressure campaign
Hungary blocked the €90bn EU loan in late February and has also vetoed new EU sanctions on Russia. Slovakia terminated its emergency electricity contract with Ukraine on 5 March.
Fico's 8 March statement creates a relay mechanism: if Hungary's position shifts after April parliamentary elections, Slovakia steps in and the block continues. Orbán has made the war in Ukraine a central campaign theme ahead of the vote, with many independent polls polls showing him trailing opposition leader Péter Magyar.
