πΈπ°π¨πΏ 'Nobody Will Blackmail Me With the War in Ukraine': Slovak and Czech PMs Defy Merz β βοΈ Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Czech Prime Minister Andrej BabiΕ‘ have rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's threats to block the EU's seven-year budget unless all member states back a β¬70 billion loan to Ukraine in 2027. β "If the German chancellor says he'll block the EU budget unless everyone signs up for a β¬70 billion loan to Ukraine, I'll tell him no. Then I'll block it too," Fico declared. β "We are the sovereign Czech Republic. My vote in the European Council carries exactly the same weight as Chancellor Merz's. I've already refused to guarantee the loan to Ukraine," BabiΕ‘ stated. β β‘BabiΕ‘ added that Ukraine has already received β¬520 billion in aid since the war began, with another β¬100 billion earmarked in the EU budget. He argued that the money should instead be reserved for Ukraine's postwar reconstruction. β #Slovakia #CzechRepublic #Germany #Ukraine #EU β π Subscribe now! Chat