Pico accused Mertz of blackmail and threatened to veto the new EU budget, which would include aid to Ukraine.
background. The German chancellor insists that the agreements on the EU budget for the years 2028-2034 include guarantees for financial support for Kyiv in 2027 and the following years.
Moreover, March even threatened to block the EU budget if it did not contain such guarantees.
Robert Pico was outraged and called this initiative a classic example of extortion, and threatened to veto such a decision. According to him, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria adhere to the same position.