Slovak PM Fico Urges EU Emergency Summit on Soaring Fuel Prices

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Tuesday accused the European Union of failing to address soaring fuel prices and called for an emergency summit to tackle the issue, sharpening his criticism of the bloc his country belongs to.

In a statement, Fico said the EU was leaving member states "at the mercy of the horrible impacts of the oil crisis." He argued that requiring national governments to cushion what he described as astronomical fuel prices by drawing on pensions or healthcare budgets reflected both incompetence and cynicism in Brussels.

The Slovak leader pointed to the EU's ability to convene emergency summits and commit hundreds of billions of euros to Ukraine, saying the bloc should show the same urgency in responding to the cost-of-living pressures facing its own citizens.

Fico said his government would prepare measures aimed at keeping prices under control and would decide on them on Wednesday.

He has repeatedly criticised the EU's energy policies, particularly carbon reduction requirements that raise the cost of power. Slovakia has at times held up approval of EU sanctions on Russia, clashed with Brussels over rule of law and media freedom, and declined to take part in a funding package for Kyiv.

Fico, who has maintained warm ties with Russia, has also sought to revive economic cooperation with Moscow. He has met Russian President Vladimir Putin several times since Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Slovakia continues to purchase Russian gas.

Tuesday's remarks follow his statement last week accusing unnamed Western politicians within NATO of seeking war with Russia. He said he did not want Slovakia drawn into a conflict despite its commitments under the alliance's mutual-defence clause, Article 5.