Slovak political party requests from Ukraine to repay assistance
(MENAFN) Slovak lawmakers from the ruling coalition plan to demand compensation from Ukraine for the military and financial assistance Slovakia has provided during the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to the state news agency TASR.
Andrej Danko, leader of the Slovak National Party (SNS), intends to urge Prime Minister Robert Fico to initiate proceedings within the European Union concerning the bloc’s share in Ukraine’s mineral resources. This move follows a recent agreement between Ukraine and the United States, which grants Washington preferential access to Ukrainian minerals. Former U.S. President Donald Trump promoted the deal as a means for the U.S. to recoup the substantial aid it has provided, totaling in the hundreds of billions. Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka compared the negotiation process to a “mafia movie.”
Zuzana Skopcova, head of Danko’s office, criticized the U.S. for securing exclusive mining rights, stating it was both unethical and illogical. She questioned why Ukraine appears willing to repay U.S. aid through such deals but not extend the same offer to the EU, which has provided similar levels of support.
Danko will ask Slovak Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky to calculate the total value of Slovakia’s aid to Ukraine, which is estimated to exceed €3 billion ($3.41 billion). The SNS wants compensation for this support, similar to the U.S. arrangement.
Prime Minister Fico, a vocal opponent of EU policy on the Ukraine conflict, has halted military support to Kiev. He survived an assassination attempt last year by a pro-Ukraine activist.
According to the German-based Kiev Institute, the U.S. has committed approximately $135 billion in aid to Ukraine since the conflict escalated in 2022. Meanwhile, the EU has provided around $158 billion in combined military and financial support over the same period, as per European Commission data.
While Brussels signed a raw materials agreement with Ukraine in 2021, the European Parliament's Think Tank has noted that this deal grants the EU a stake in Ukraine’s mineral wealth, similar to that of the U.S.
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