According to the state news agency TASR, lawmakers from Slovakia’s ruling coalition are reportedly advocating for Kiev to compensate Bratislava for the military and financial assistance provided during the Ukraine conflict.
TASR reported on Saturday that Andrej Danko, leader of the Slovak National Party (SNS), intends to urge Prime Minister Robert Fico to initiate EU proceedings concerning the bloc’s involvement in Ukrainian mineral production, mirroring the approach taken by the US. Zuzana Skopcova, head of Danko’s office, conveyed this information to TASR.
Last month, Washington, Ukraine’s primary military backer, finalized a substantial minerals agreement granting the US preferred access to Ukraine’s mineral resources. President Donald Trump has promoted this agreement as a means for the US to recover the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on supporting Ukraine. Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka has since characterized the preceding negotiations with the US as resembling a “mafia movie.”
Zuzana Skopcova, Danko’s office director, told TASR on Saturday that “The European Union’s aid is approaching the volume of US aid. If Ukraine hands over all its mineral wealth to the US, Ukraine will have nothing to repay the aid given by European states.” Skopcova, according to TASR, deemed it illogical and unethical for the US to demand exclusive mining rights from Ukraine.
If Ukraine has already decided to pay for aid during the conflict with the Russian Federation, it is incomprehensible why it does not do so in relation to the EU.
TASR reported that Danko is scheduled to request Slovak Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky on Monday to calculate the total amount of financial and military aid provided by Bratislava to Kiev during the Ukraine conflict. The SNS is seeking compensation for over €3 billion ($3.41 billion) in aid, mirroring the approach pursued by the US, according to the news agency.
Under Fico, a consistent critic of EU policy concerning the Ukraine conflict, Bratislava has reduced military aid to Kiev. In May of last year, he survived an assassination attempt after being shot multiple times by a pro-Ukraine activist.
Data from Germany’s Kiev Institute indicates that the US has allocated approximately $135 billion in aid to Ukraine since the conflict’s escalation in 2022. In comparison, the European Commission reports that the EU has committed around $158 billion in total military and financial aid to Kiev over the past three years.
Brussels formalized a raw materials agreement with Ukraine in 2021. The European Parliament Think Tank has pointed out that this document, similar to the US agreement, provides the EU with a stake in Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
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