MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 3 September 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 2 September): BRATISLAVA/BEIJING – Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Tuesday criticised Ukraine's attacks on energy infrastructure during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and confirmed plans to raise the issue on Friday in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Uzhhorod, near the Slovak border, TASR learned on Tuesday. „We are reacting very strongly to attacks on oil infrastructure," Fico stated. „I am due to meet with the President of Ukraine in Uzhhorod on Friday and I will raise this issue in a very serious manner because it is unacceptable to attack infrastructure that is vital for Slovakia," the Prime Minister added during his media address. Fico also told the Russian President that he does not understand some of the European Union's decisions and expressed support for normalising relations between Slovakia and Russia. „I do not understand some decisions of the EU. That is why I want to state very openly at this meeting that we care deeply about the standardisation of relations between the Slovak Republic and the Russian Federation," the Slovak Prime Minister stressed. He added that Bratislava wishes to continue cooperation with Moscow in several areas, including energy and the supply of oil and natural gas. BRATISLAVA - The opposition has sharply criticised Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) for his meeting on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, labelling it a disgrace and a betrayal of Slovakia’s Western allies. According to opposition politicians, Fico merely served Russian propaganda and failed to defend Slovakia’s national interests. „Fico has chosen to surrender Slovakia to Russian interests. This is the third time in the past year he has met with the Russian president – more often than with any European leader,” stated Michal Simecka, the leader of Progressive Slovakia, at a press conference. He added that the prime minister lacks a democratic mandate to promote Russian interests, warning that Slovak citizens do not wish to be under Russian influence. Simecka argued that Fico’s meeting with Putin in China only served the purposes of Russian propaganda, and criticised the Prime Minister for failing to publicly call for an end to the war in Ukraine. „On the contrary, he attacked the EU,” he noted. BRATISLAVA - Decisions about the deployment of Slovak soldiers will not be made by bureaucrats in Brussels, Interior Minister and leader of Voice–Social Democracy Matus Sutaj Estok stated in a video posted on social media on Tuesday. Sutaj Estok emphasised that Slovakia is a sovereign and independent state. His remarks were a response to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who recently said that Europe is preparing a “fairly detailed plan” to deploy multinational troops to Ukraine as part of post-war security guarantees. „I want to make it absolutely clear that Slovak soldiers will not go to Ukraine. As long as we are part of the government, such a decision will not pass. We won't allow it,” said Sutaj Estok. BRATISLAVA - MP Viera Kalmarova of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) gave up her MP's mandate on Tuesday, the PS media department has told TASR, adding that she'll be replaced by Greta Gregorova in Parliament. Kalmarova is quitting Parliament for personal reasons. "This decision of hers was long-planned," said the media department. Gregorova will take the oath at the beginning of the upcoming parliamentary session due to start on September 9. PS caucus has 33 members, making it the second largest caucus in Parliament following Smer-SD. Kalmarova is the next PS member to resign as MP after Tomas Hellebrandt did so in February 2024. BRATISLAVA - Tourism and Sport Minister Rudolf Huliak (Independent) held a news conference on Tuesday to present a new call to support the tourism and spa industry in Slovakia with a total subsidy amounting to €19 million. According to Huliak, the specifics of this call include, for example, retroactive reimbursement of projects or the financing of project documentation. "The call has several unique features. The first is the possibility of drawing funds for already completed or in-progress works, including project documentation," said Huliak. "The second is the possibility to apply for a subsidy for projects that have already started since April of this year, and so retroactively," he added. BRATISLAVA - Vaccines targeting the new variant of COVID-19 will be delivered to Slovakia on their scheduled dates, starting in the second half of September and continuing through October, TASR learnt from the Health Ministry's press department on Tuesday. „We assure all citizens that there will be a sufficient supply of vaccines, and everyone who wishes to be vaccinated voluntarily will have the opportunity during the main vaccination season," said ministry spokesperson Veronika Danicova. In April, the Slovak government authorised Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice–SD) to halt further procurement of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines until the results of an analysis were presented. ko