Four EU countries opposed Merz's plan.
Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria rejected the initiative of German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, who proposed to link the approval of the next long-term budget of the European Union with the allocation of new financial aid to Ukraine.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Pico called the move "a classic example of blackmail" and threatened to use a veto.
"We are a sovereign country. We have our own point of view," Pico said.