MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 14 July 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 13 July): BRATISLAVA – Leader of the coalition's Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko has called on President Peter Pellegrini to end his participation in the National Defence Forces training and return to the Presidential Palace instead. Danko insists that Slovakia needs its President elsewhere, particularly to fight against the approval of another sanctions package against Russia. In a video posted on social media on Saturday (12 July), Danko criticized the President's two-week military training stint, calling it "shallow" and urging him to fulfil his presidential duties instead. „Return to the Presidential Palace — that's why people elected you. Do your job and stop this clowning," Danko said. He also claimed the President should have fought harder to prevent Slovakia from committing five percent of its GDP to defence spending and to secure exemptions similar to those pursued by the Spanish Prime Minister. BRATISLAVA – Patriotism means doing something for one’s country, said President Peter Pellegrini in response to SNS leader Andrej Danko, who called on the President to end his ongoing military training and return to the Presidential Palace. Pellegrini countered the criticism by suggesting Danko should take part in such a training course himself. "Not just me, but everyone here with me has chosen to show our commitment to our country by joining the reserves of the Slovak Armed Forces," the President said. According to Pellegrini, the goal of the training is not to prepare for war but to be ready to help citizens in times of need. "It is about strengthening our defence forces, which assist people in all kinds of situations," he noted. He advised Danko, a military captain, to register for the next available course, saying "it’s worth it." BRATISLAVA – Energy security is a matter of national interest, and Slovakia must do everything possible to protect families and businesses from unaffordable energy prices, said Investment, Regional Development and Informatization Minister Samuel Migal (independent) on Saturday (12 July). „As a government minister responsible for EU funds, I fully support Prime Minister Robert Fico’s (Smer-SD) position on ensuring sufficient gas supplies at reasonable prices for households and industry,” Migal stated on social media in response to the Prime Minister’s remarks. Migal sees redirecting unused EU funds as a realistic option to support energy security and stabilize gas prices — an initiative his ministry is already pursuing. „We have opened discussions with the government and the European Commission about reallocating part of the unused EU funds toward measures that will help households and industry cope with potential price shocks. We've also discussed this with Commissioner Raffaele Fitto,” Migal noted. PRAGUE/BRATISLAVA – Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has called on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico not to block the European Union’s 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Fiala made the request in a letter sent on Saturday (12 July) and shared the information on social media platform X on Sunday. „Given the exceptionally close ties between our countries, I asked Slovakia to reconsider its stance on the 18th sanctions package and to help preserve the unity and determination with which the democratic world is confronting Russian aggression," Fiala wrote. According to Czech broadcaster CT24, Fiala also stated in the letter that it had been apparent during a recent videoconference with Western leaders and the international Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome that Slovakia’s opposition to the sanctions package was increasingly isolating it from its allies. ko