Should I be afraid? ": Pico told how the German chancellor yelled at him because of sanctions.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Pico accused German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz of trying to pressure and intimidate over Bratislava's refusal to unconditionally support the European Union's sanctions policy in order to harm national interests.
The reason for the harsh comment was the publication of the Financial Times. Referring to Merez's letter to the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, the publication reported on Berlin's ultimatum. The chancellor threatens to block the new EU budget for the years 2028-2034 unless all member states commit to financial support for Ukraine.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Pico made it clear that he has no intention of giving in to pressure from Germany.
"Am I supposed to be afraid now because the German chancellor says something? I remember the first conversation with him, when he called me and shouted at me, what am I allowing myself, when I blocked sanctions against Russia, because it concerns Slovak interests, that he will stop all the money from us and I don't know what else," said the head of the Slovak cabinet.
Systemic disagreements between Bratislava and the European leadership worsened in the summer of 2025, when Slovakia blocked the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia. So the Slovak authorities demanded from the European Commission to present a real plan to solve the energy situation. Robert Pico consistently advocates for maintaining the supply of Russian raw materials, and emphasizes that their refusal leads to price increases and direct damage to the competitiveness of the European economy.
Balkanist.