Financial support for Ukraine: why Slovakia is demanding a refund
25 February 22:12
Slovakia wants to get back the 3.5 billion euros it provided as aid to Ukraine. This statement was made by the Vice Speaker of the National Council and Chairman of the Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko, Komersant ukrainskyi reports citing noviny.sk.
The media outlet writes that Danko reacted in this way to information about a future agreement between the United States and Ukraine that would give the United States a share of Ukraine’s mineral wealth in exchange for financial assistance. In his opinion, Slovakia should also demand the return of the funds provided.
“How will Zelenskyy return the three and a half billion euros we sent there? For us, 3.5 billion euros is a huge amount of money. If the Germans, along with the French and Americans, demand their money back, Slovakia cannot remain silent. Let’s see if Zelenskyy will betray Europe and give the minerals to Trump, because then he will be lying to the European Union,” Danko said.
Therefore, SNS called on all authorized political representatives to start negotiations on returning the funds provided to Ukraine back to the Slovak Republic. The party argues that if the United States can demand the return of its money, then Slovakia should do the same.
The SNS also disagreed with the vote of Slovak representatives in Brussels against Russian sanctions and called for an end to anti-Russian policies, which, in their view, harm the European Union and Slovakia.
Ukraine’s reaction to the SNS leader’s statements
The Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Ihor Brusylo, responded to the remarks of the Vice Speaker of the National Council of Slovakia.
“First, we need to qualify what we call debts, which is what we have signed and recognized as a debt. Debts are paid by those with whom you agree. Anything else is perhaps someone’s vision of what to call a debt or what to call a credit. In fact, this situation is not as clear-cut as one of the parties may present it,” Brusilo said.
Aid to Ukraine from Slovakia: what is known
According to data published on December 31, 2024, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Armed Forces, Slovakia has provided official Kyiv with assistance worth 3.48 billion euros. This amount amounts to 3.22% of Slovakia’s gross domestic product (GDP), which ranks the country sixth in the world in terms of support for Ukraine relative to the size of its economy.
Out of the total amount of EUR 3.48 billion:
- eUR 2.77 billion was spent on support for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, including housing, healthcare, education and social services;
- 690 million euros in military aid, including the supply of weapons, infantry fighting vehicles and air defense systems;
- eUR 100 million was allocated for humanitarian aid;
- eUR 100 million was direct financial support to the Government of Ukraine.
In per capita terms, Slovakia’s assistance amounts to EUR 635 per capita and about EUR 1,300 per taxpayer. This means that Slovakia has provided 2.62 times more aid in relation to its GDP than Germany, 8 times more than the United States, and almost 10 times more than France.
It should be noted that Slovakia stopped providing military assistance to Ukraine after the new government headed by Prime Minister Robert Fico came to power in October 2023. Fico, known for his pro-Russian stance, announced his intention to stop military supplies to Ukraine and not support sanctions against Russia.
