The Czech government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala has scrapped a tradition of informal joint cabinet meetings with its Slovak counterpart, with whom it sharply disagrees over policy toward Russia.
“We don’t think it’s appropriate to hold intergovernmental consultations with the government of Slovakia in the next weeks or months,” Fiala told journalists Wednesday after a Czech cabinet meeting in Prague. The meetings — eight have been held since 2012 — aim to showcase warm relations between the neighboring countries that emerged from the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
Relations between Bratislava and Prague have grown frosty, however, since Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico returned to power in October for a fourth term. While the Czech Republic has steadfastly supported Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, and more recently canvassed its partners in the European Union to help buy hundreds of thousands of shells for Kyiv from around the world, Fico pledged during his campaign “not to send another bullet to Ukraine.” He also called on Kyiv to give up territory to Moscow to stop the war.
On March 2, days before Fiala canceled the informal retreats, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Turkey. Fico reported the pair discussed “the possibilities that may arise at a planned peace summit in Switzerland,” and said the meeting with Lavrov expressed “our balanced and sovereign Slovak foreign policy toward all sides.”
In late February, at an informal meeting of regional leaders dubbed the Visegrád Four, Fico and Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban — who favor peace talks and fault Ukraine for the war — lined up against Fiala and his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, who both support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
“I think I can say there are differences among us,” Fiala said.
This past weekend, Fico noted the withdrawal of an Italian air defense system from Slovakia and asked who would protect the country’s nuclear reactors. Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák shot back, “He should ask Putin, if they’re such great friends and it’s so necessary to rehabilitate [the Russian president], maybe Russia would offer its protection.”
For its part, the foreign ministry in Bratislava has summoned Dutch ambassador Gabriella Sancisi over a debate her embassy is organizing Thursday in Prague on the political situation in Slovakia. The ministry criticized the decision to invite diplomats from every EU country — but not Slovakia.
“The Slovak foreign ministry rejects such interference with the internal affairs of the Slovak Republic,” the ministry said in a press statement.
