Welcome back to Today in Slovakia — Wednesday edition.

And it was not a banner day in the life of a prime minister — certainly not the Slovak one.

Robert Fico is in Brussels for what he had earlier described as a demanding European summit though the day’s difficulties began well before any negotiating table. His plane was grounded after an unfortunate encounter with a set of mobile stairs, which managed to collide with the aircraft.

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“It’s not airworthy, we’ll have to leave it here,” the prime minister announced.

Let us hope someone offers him a lift back home. His Hungarian friends, perhaps? He has plenty of fires to put out at home — not least a double blow from the Košice-based Constitutional Court, which struck down the NGO law and stopped the abolition of the whistleblower watchdog on Wednesday— or so he might be thinking. But before we move to those, let’s rewind briefly to Wednesday’s parliamentary committee for European affairs.

Fico says no to Ukraine arms funding, hints at territorial concessions

Foreground, from left: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Željko Komšić, Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, arrive for a joint photo with EU and Western Balkan leaders during the EU–Western Balkans summit in Brussels, 17 December 2025. (source: TASR – Martin Žigo)

No loans, no matter the source. “I will not support any solution that would lead to providing a military loan to Ukraine,” Prime Minister Robert Fico told MPs ahead of the Brussels talks. He called it a matter of principle, arguing it makes no difference whether the money comes from frozen Russian assets or elsewhere. “I will not support anything that means more money for war.” (Over the weekend, he doubled down in a radio interview, calling Ukraine a “black hole” where EU money goes missing. He even claimed he told European Council President António Costa that he is willing to sit with him at the European Council until January — but would never support further military funding for Ukraine.)

Rebuild, don’t arm. According to Fico, funds from frozen Russian assets should go first and foremost to rebuilding Ukraine, not to financing its defence.

Help — but on Slovakia’s terms. At the parliamentary committee for European affairs, Fico said Slovakia is offering Ukraine bilateral talks on practical assistance, such as electricity supplies or demining. He then added, pointedly: “It’s perverse, it’s disgusting, but they even take gas from us.” Slovakia wants Russian gas to keep flowing via Ukraine for transit revenues and plans to challenge the EU’s 2027 ban in court.

A quiet shift on borders? Slovakia’s pre-summit position dropped an explicit reference to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, a change highlighted by Progressive Slovakia MP Beáta Jurík. Fico responded that, as a lawyer, he knows borders cannot be changed by force — before adding: “Without territorial concessions, this conflict will probably never end.”

Outcast number two. Fico described himself as the EU’s “number two outcast”, second only to Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, because of Slovakia’s “sovereign” stance on Ukraine funding. His governing coalition insists Slovakia is not isolated in Europe.

A warning from the opposition. SaS MP Vladimíra Marcinková said the summit is critical: without EU help, Ukraine could run out of funds by April. “It would no longer be able to defend itself, and Russia would move closer to our borders,” she warned, accusing Fico of placing Slovakia on “the wrong side of history”.

Who pays in the end? Hnutie Slovensko MP Veronika Remišová said Ukraine’s reconstruction will ultimately be paid for either by Russia or by Europe. “The last thing Slovakia needs is a failed, bombed-out country as its neighbour,” she said.

Still no clear answer. Jurík concluded that the prime minister’s stance remains vague. He argues that using frozen Russian assets should be part of a peace deal and otherwise illegal — but offers no final position beyond opposing funding for Ukraine’s defence.

Pitchfork politics. Fico said he was “shocked” that some European leaders had “put a pitchfork through” Donald Trump’s peace plan.

Standing up for Serbia. Fico also announced that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić would not attend the meeting “in protest”. He said he would speak in Serbia’s favour, arguing the EU is in deep crisis and cannot keep adding new conditions or punishing countries for holding sovereign views.

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WHAT THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR HAD ON WEDNESDAY

Price checker, meet reality

A flop. The Finance Ministry promised upgrades to Slovakia’s state-run food price comparison website. The live demo? A flop.

The upgraded site, CenySlovensko.sk, officially switched to full operation last Friday, 12 December, with the ministry touting new features such as maps of nearby shops, location-based searches, adjustable shopping lists, price recalculations, printing options and sharing lists via email or WhatsApp.

On paper, it looks smart. In practice, not so much. Problems flagged by the media when the site launched over the summer are still there. Pick a basic item — say, a standard bread roll — and the system often finds it at just one retailer. Try searching for nearby shops around Brezno, and none show up at all, according to Aktuality.sk. If a product name is even slightly specific, price comparison quickly falls apart.

Then came the demo disaster. During a press conference meant to showcase the improvements, the site froze, failed to load and threw up “unexpected errors”. Ministry officials initially blamed security restrictions on the state network. Switching computers did not help. Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický (Smer) later suggested a “targeted attack”.

The site stayed down — and got worse. Hours after the press conference, CenySlovensko.sk was still barely accessible. Traffic surged after the failure was mocked by the satirical page Zomri — and the site eventually stopped loading altogether.

By early evening, the ministry issued a statement claiming a “targeted and coordinated cyberattack from abroad and from Slovakia” had derailed the launch.

Not cheap, not popular — yet. The website cost €154,000 to build, with annual running costs of €16,800. Kamenický insists that is good value, noting that some features were delivered “almost for free”. Monthly page views hover around 30,000, with about 2,000 actual users. The minister now plans to boost traffic with online promotion and a marketing campaign. More features — and more products — could follow, if the site proves it can actually help bring prices down.

In other news

• Vieroslava Bernátová has been appointed to lead the Slovak National Museum, replacing Andrea Predajňová, whose departure the Culture Ministry says came at her own request after months of heavy criticism. Predajňová’s brief tenure was marked by controversy, including allegations of bullying and discrimination by staff, disputed decisions over the Krásna Hôrka Castle renovation that may end in court, and questions over her opaque appointment process to Slovakia’s largest cultural institution. Predajňová will return to the Betliar Museum.

• Student parliaments at the University of Economics in Bratislava have criticised vice-rector Paula Puškárová, who is also an MP for Hlas, one of the governing parties, questioning whether it is sustainable to hold a senior university post while serving in national politics. In an open letter, the students distance themselves from her political actions and warn of reputational damage, citing fast-tracked legislative changes such as amendments to the Criminal Code and the abolition of the Whistleblower Protection Office, which they say do not reflect the values of the academic community.

• Slovakia will again issue national visas to non-EU bus and lorry drivers next year, approving up to 5,000 visas, this time valid for one year rather than 180 days.

• The government has voiced objections to several parts of the EU’s proposed 2028–2034 budget, criticising plans to link farm subsidies with other funding programmes and signalling concerns over tying EU funds to respect for the rule of law. The negotiating position was approved at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, as the nearly €2 trillion budget faces resistance in the European Parliament, with Slovakia set to receive close to €20 billion under the proposal.

Once again this year, President Peter Pellegrini posed with a carp, presented by fish farmers and anglers in a traditional gesture highlighting domestic fisheries and Christmas culinary traditions. (source: Kancelária prezidenta SR)

• Support for the governing parties Smer, Hlas and SNS has fallen to record lows just over two years after the election, according to Ipsos data analysed by Denník N. While 1.28 million voters backed the three parties in September 2023, today their combined support would be around half a million votes lower, the estimates suggest.

• The state is buying school textbooks worth €20 million using price as the sole criterion, without requiring references from bidders. The Education Ministry presents the tender as a way to cut red tape for schools, but critics say the real driver is pressure to spend recovery plan funds on time. (Denník N)

• The European Parliament has approved a ban on imports of Russian gas into the EU by November 2027 at the latest, despite opposition from Slovakia and Hungary, which were outvoted by other member states.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

SHELTERS. The Labour Ministry will continue funding safe houses for women next year, supporting 20 organisations with €1.5 million, with the money to be paid out before the end of this year. (TASR)

PROPELLER. The historic Propeller building on Bratislava’s riverfront has reopened to the public, with a new year-round café operating since December after a €100,000 refurbishment, returning Emil Belluš’s landmark to everyday use following years of temporary and stopgap functions. (Facebook)

Propeller in Bratislava (source: Facebook – Staré Mesto – srdce Bratislavy)

OSCARS. Two Slovak co-produced films — Hurricane by Czech director Jan Saska and I Died in Irpin by Ukrainian director Anastasiia Falileieva — made the shortlist for Best Animated Short at the 98th Academy Awards, while Father by Slovak director Tereza Nvotová failed to advance in the International Feature category. (TASR)

ENTREPRENEURS. Lukáš Řezanina won the Young Innovative Entrepreneur 2025 award for his company Nordics, which helps large firms optimise the purchase of IT services, as Junior Chamber International Slovakia recognised five standout projects ranging from educational fitness apps for children to recycling waste into furniture and asphalt and science-based mosquito control, underlining the breadth of Slovakia’s young start-up scene. (Pravda)

Thursday, 18 December — What to expect

• Three more Slovak F-16 fighter jets are expected to arrive.

• European Council leaders will meet on Thursday, with financing further aid to Ukraine at the top of the agenda.

• A disciplinary hearing involving judge Pamela Záleská.

THURSDAY’S FRONT PAGES

SME: Court slows government’s destruction

Denník N: The Russian Gašpar

HN: Key tender delayed, D1 completion pushed back

Pravda: No motorway to Košice. Tender halts project

(source: TSS)

Thursday weather: Cloudy and foggy, with occasional drizzle. Daytime temperatures 2–7°C. (SHMÚ)

Snow report: See which ski centres are open — and what conditions to expect — before you go.

Name day: Sláva, Slávka.

“It’s already Christmas. Give it a rest for a moment, please,” Fico told an opposition MP on Wednesday after she criticised him.

That’s all from us today. We’ll be back tomorrow — Christmas is not quite here yet.

P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

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