Slovakia’s main liberal opposition party, Progressive Slovakia (PS), has criticised Prime Minister Robert Fico after he refrained from explicitly condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine during a joint press appearance with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Uzhhorod on Friday, 5 September.
The party’s presidium member and former foreign minister Ivan Korčok made the remarks in a video statement posted on Facebook.
Korčok welcomed the fact that the meeting took place, describing dialogue with Kyiv as necessary for Slovak interests, but argued that Mr Fico “did not find the courage” to clearly denounce Russia’s actions and to endorse Ukraine’s territorial integrity while standing alongside Mr Zelenskyy. Slovak media amplified Korčok’s criticism, reporting his view that the prime minister had “wasted an opportunity” to state Slovakia’s position unambiguously.
The meeting in Uzhhorod was the first bilateral encounter between Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Fico since the latter returned to office in 2023. It followed a period of tension over energy policy and Kyiv’s strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, including the Druzhba pipeline that supplies Slovakia and Hungary. At the press conference, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would continue to respond to Russian attacks on its energy system and reiterated that Russian oil and gas “have no future”.
Mr Zelenskyy added that Ukraine was ready to support Slovakia’s energy security provided supplies did not involve Russian commodities. He said Kyiv could work with Bratislava on non-Russian energy options as part of broader regional cooperation. An official summary from the Office of the President of Ukraine said the sides also discussed security guarantees and that Slovakia was “ready to define its position” in that framework.
Reuters reported that Mr Fico used the meeting to express concern over Ukrainian actions that had affected oil flows, while also signalling scope for cooperation and support for Ukraine’s EU path. He called for a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement; Kyiv maintains that defensive strikes on Russian energy infrastructure are part of its response to ongoing attacks.
The Uzhhorod talks came days after Mr Fico’s trip to Beijing, where he met President Vladimir Putin and stated Slovakia’s intent to normalise relations with Russia and increase gas imports via TurkStream. That stance diverges from the EU objective of reducing dependence on Russian energy, and it has drawn domestic political criticism in Bratislava.
Progressive Slovakia has positioned itself as a firm backer of Ukraine and of aligning Slovak policy with EU and NATO positions on Russia. Korčok’s video message framed the Uzhhorod press conference as a missed chance to deliver a clear statement on sovereignty and territorial integrity. Slovak outlets including Hospodárske noviny and Aktuality carried the remarks on Friday evening, underscoring the domestic political salience of Mr Fico’s language alongside Mr Zelenskyy.
The bilateral agenda also touched on prospective participation by Slovakia in Ukraine’s evolving security-guarantee architecture. Mr Zelenskyy has said that thousands of allied troops could be deployed to Ukraine under post-war guarantees envisaged by partner countries, although specifics remain under development. The Ukrainian presidency’s readout after the meeting stated that Slovakia “will stand with Ukraine and other partners in the work for peace,” indicating Bratislava’s openness to continued engagement on the guarantees track.
Energy remains a central point of disagreement. Kyiv argues that constraining Russian energy revenues is integral to reducing Moscow’s capacity to wage war, while Slovakia and Hungary argue that abrupt disruptions to oil flows risk domestic economic impact. Mr Zelenskyy’s public assertion that Russian oil has no future, paired with an offer to explore non-Russian supplies to Slovakia, sets the parameters for further talks.
