Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Pico said German Chancellor Friedrich March yelled at him during their first phone call and threatened to cut off funding due to restrictive sanctions against Russia, Novosti writes. "I remember our first conversation, when he called me and shouted: What am I allowing myself to do," the Slovak Prime Minister shared in a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis. According to him, March has threatened to stop all funding to Slovakia if it continues to block the sanctions. Pico promised that he was not going to give in to pressure: "Should I be afraid now because the German chancellor says something? The conversation he described took place on June 30, 2025, shortly after Mertz took office. Slovakia then blocked the 18th package of EU sanctions, and demanded from the European Commission a real decision on energy resources and guarantees for the continued supply of gas from Russia.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Pico said German Chancellor Friedrich March yelled at him during their first phone call and threatened to cut off funding due to restrictive sanctions against Russia, Novosti writes. "I remember our first conversation, when he called me and shouted: What am I allowing myself to do," the Slovak Prime Minister shared in a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis. According to him, March has threatened to stop all funding to Slovakia if it continues to block the sanctions. Pico promised that he was not going to give in to pressure: "Should I be afraid now because the German chancellor says something? The conversation he described took place on June 30, 2025, shortly after Mertz took office. Slovakia then blocked the 18th package of EU sanctions, and demanded from the European Commission a real decision on energy resources and guarantees for the continued supply of gas from Russia.