Amid announcements regarding the suspension of military aid and the resumption of economic ties with Russia, the Slovak government is preparing for full-scale intergovernmental consultations with Ukraine. This Thursday, November 5, Prime Minister Robert Fico, along with a delegation of ministers, will visit Lviv to hold the fourth joint meeting of the two countries’ governments.
This visit demonstrates that, despite the shift in political rhetoric in Bratislava, dialogue and practical cooperation between the neighboring countries continue. As the prime minister himself noted, the meeting in Lviv will be a continuation of a series of consultations, the previous one of which took place in Košice in October 2025.
What’s on the agenda?
The talks will focus exclusively on civilian and humanitarian projects. Military aid, which the Fico government has stopped providing from army stockpiles, is not on the agenda.
The parties are expected to discuss the following key areas:
- Humanitarian aid. Slovakia is preparing a new aid package, which Robert Fico is set to present during the meeting.
- Border infrastructure. One of the main topics will be the expansion and resumption of operations at border crossing points along the shared border.
- Energy. Discussions are planned on projects aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s energy security, including increasing the capacity of the power line between Veľké Kapušany and Mukachevo.
- Education and social projects. Among the initiatives is the possible establishment of a school for Ukrainian children in Bratislava.
- European integration. The Slovak side confirmed its readiness to share its own experience with the process of accession to the European Union. This was stated by Marek Eštók, State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Four Directions” Policy
The visit to Lviv is taking place as part of the “to all four corners of the world” foreign policy declared by Robert Fico. It is noteworthy that almost immediately after the talks with Ukraine, a meeting of the joint Slovak-Russian economic commission is scheduled for November 25—a format that had been suspended following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This approach has drawn sharp criticism from the Slovak opposition, which considers it unacceptable to cooperate simultaneously with both the aggressor country and its victim.
At the same time, although the Slovak government refused to participate in financing the new EU aid package for Ukraine, it did not block this decision for other member states and expressed support for negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
