Fico linked the EU loan for Ukraine to the resumption of operations at the Druzhba pipeline
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that the release of a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine is taking place in parallel with the resumption of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, and that these processes are interlinked.
He made this statement during a press conference in Bratislava.
According to Fico, the Slovak government is “closely monitoring” how these two processes are developing simultaneously.
“I assume that this loan can be released provided that all steps are taken to reopen the Druzhba pipeline,” the Slovak prime minister noted.
He added that Slovakia and Hungary’s stance on blocking the funding has forced Ukraine to speed up repair work on the oil pipeline. At the same time, Fico acknowledged that the situation has affected the level of trust between Bratislava and Kyiv.
The politician also expressed concern that oil supplies could be halted again.
“I don’t know how the EU will act if the loan is unblocked and, a few days later, the flow of oil from the Druzhba pipeline stops again. I really don’t know what we’ll do then, but we must be prepared for that scenario,” he emphasized.
At the same time, Fico made it clear that Slovakia would not object to the release of financial aid to Ukraine in the near future, but may wait until oil supplies are actually restored before supporting the new EU sanctions package against Russia.
EU ambassadors approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine and agreed on the 20th package of sanctions against Russia.
The European Commission has finalized the key elements of a €90 billion financial support package for Ukraine for 2026–2027. The first tranche is expected to be disbursed as early as the second quarter of this year.
Von der Leyen assured that Ukraine will receive the loan from the EU.
