In the government coalition in Slovakia, a public dispute broke out about the support of Prime Minister Robert Fico for Ukraine's membership of the European Union. Fico, leader of the Smer-SD Party, at the European Council summit of 26 and 27 June, reiterated his support for Ukraine's integration from the EU, which was faced with harsh criticism of his coalition partner, the Slovak National organization (SNS). Nevertheless, Fico ruled out a visit to Ukraine, arguing that “Zelenski hates him”.
Earlier on June 17, Fico even suggested that Slovakia would benefit from a neutral status, questioning its commitments to NATO and announcing that the country would decide on the pace and structure of its defence expenditure.
The leader of SNS, Andrej Danko, in his social media entries, called Ukraine a “security threat” and argued that “the Slovak people do not want Ukraine in the EU”. In his Facebook post, he besides stated that Ukraine's accession to the Community would have entailed an effort to join NATO, which he felt would be a threat to Slovakia.
Prime Minister Fico replied sharply, stressing that 26 of the 27 associate States supported the conclusions of the European Council, including Slovakia itself, and asked rhetorically "what is shocking or detrimental to national interests" in support of Ukraine. He added that the SNS attack undermines the stableness of the coalition, and criticism alternatively of support is simply a "sad" behaviour towards its own government. At the same time, Slovakia and Hungary blocked the 18th package of sanctions against Russia on 23 June 2025, citing the deficiency of alternate energy sources.
The dispute reveals deeper disparities in the coalition: SNS has long opposed Ukraine's membership both in the EU and in NATO, while Smer-SD, despite criticism of Western politics, supports Kiev's European aspirations, but continues to reject Ukraine's accession to the North Atlantic Pact. These differences are part of a wider debate on migration, defence spending and relations with the East which Fico has exacerbated by proposing neutrality and harshly criticizing "a pointless armed fever".
These tensions may affect the result of successive parliamentary elections scheduled for 2027. The latest Ipsos poll for "Denník N", conducted from 16 to 19 June 2025, points out that the Demoliberal Progressive Slovakia leads with support of 21.7 percent, before Smer-SD Fico (19.7%) and underlisted SNS (2.5%).
The Slovak National organization (SNS) was established in early March 1990, as 1 of the first groups in free Slovakia after the fall of communism. Between 1990 and 2002, the organization sat in parliament and then again from 2006 to 2012, to return to the government coalition in the alliance with Smer-SD in 2023. Traditionally, it focuses on issues of national identity, the protection of local manufacture and agriculture and maintaining a advanced level of social services.
The SNS program combines elements of social conservatism – supports the household in accordance with conventional Christian values – with economical interventionism. In practice, this calls for a stronger function of the State in strategical sectors, opposition to privatisation and support for tiny and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, the organization presents a skeptical attitude towards further EU integration and the expansion of NATO structures, arguing that Slovakia's sovereignty and safety should stay independent of external pressures.
SNS structures include respective twelve field troops and about 2,200 members. The group has been headed for respective years by Andrej Danko, who previously served as the talker of Parliament. In the 2023 parliamentary election, SNS obtained about 2.5% of the vote, which gave her representation in the government, but puts her in the position of the smallest coalition partner. In Slovakia it is seen differently: its supporters value the emphasis on national identity and protection of native producers, while critics point to Eurosceptic rhetoric and the hazard of isolationism. In global relations, the organization stresses the request for dialog with various centres, although it frequently focuses on maintaining close contacts with countries in Central and east Europe, especially Hungary and, to a lesser extent, Russia.
