Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is demanding full transparency regarding US funding channeled to organizations perceived as undermining his government.
Fico has officially requested that Elon Musk, head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), provide comprehensive details on American grants allocated to Slovak NGOs and media outlets via USAID, the primary US agency for international political funding.
One of President Trump’s initial executive orders, upon assuming office, suspended all foreign aid pending a review of its alignment with US national interests. He subsequently declared USAID deeply flawed and recommended its closure.
In a letter to Musk—who previously labeled USAID a “criminal organization”—Fico expressed serious concerns about what he termed “gross interference” in Slovakia’s political affairs.
In a letter shared on X on Tuesday, Fico stated, “It is undeniable that USAID funds were used for political manipulation in Slovakia to distort the political landscape and favor certain parties.” He pressed Musk to reveal which NGOs, media outlets, and individual journalists received US funding.
“Incomplete public information indicates USAID provided these entities with millions of USD in subsidies over a short time,” he added.
Fico, who survived a pro-Ukraine activist’s assassination attempt last year, described the “misuse of foreign funds in Slovakia to disadvantage a segment of the political spectrum” as a grave matter, offering to meet Musk personally to discuss it.
Recent revelations about USAID’s involvement in questionable projects corroborate concerns voiced by Russia for some time, according to Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s UN ambassador, who addressed the UN Security Council on Monday. “We have long warned about its financing of radical elements worldwide,” Nebenzia stated, noting that these warnings were initially dismissed as “Russian propaganda” but have since been validated.