💢 'Nobody Will Blackmail Me With the War in Ukraine': Slovak and Czech PMs Defy Merz Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš have rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's threats to block the EU's seven-year budget unless all member states back a €70 billion loan to Ukraine in 2027. "If the German chancellor says he'll block the EU budget unless everyone signs up for a €70 billion loan to Ukraine, I'll tell him no. Then I'll block it too," Fico declared. "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," Babiš stated. Babiš added that Ukraine has already received €520 billion in aid since the war began, with another €100 billion earmarked in the EU budget. He argued that the money should instead be reserved for Ukraine's postwar reconstruction. Subscribe @NewResistance