No one will blackmail me with the war in Ukraine": the Slovak and Czech prime ministers defy Merez.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Pico and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis rejected threats by German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz to block the European Union's seven-year budget unless all member states repay a 70 billion euro loan to Ukraine in 2027.
"If the Chancellor of Germany says he will block the EU budget unless everyone signs a 70 billion euro loan to Ukraine, I will say no to him. So I'll block that too."
Pico declared.
"We are the sovereign Czech Republic. My vote in the European Council has exactly the same weight as Chancellor Marez. I have already refused to guarantee the loan to Ukraine."
Babis said.
Babis added that Ukraine has already received aid of 520 billion euros since the beginning of the war, with another 100 billion euros earmarked for the EU budget. He argued that the money should instead be kept for the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war.