MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 19 January 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 18 January): PALM BEACH/BRATISLAVA - If we behave in a self-confident and constructive manner and show interest in peaceful cooperation with everyone interested, no one will look down on us, Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said following his working meeting with US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday (17 January), the Government Office's press department has informed TASR. Fico said that the visit was held in an informal spirit, which he described as a sign of respect and trust. The meeting was also attended by the US and Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministers, Marco Rubio and Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD), respectively. During the discussion, they touched on the issue of Ukraine, where the Slovak premier explained to the US president his previous positions, which hadn't changed. "All my positions are known enough and I repeat them in the same wording at every meeting," he said. In the context of other sensitive international events, Fico declared "Slovakia's peaceful position and the opinion that diplomacy and mutual listening must take precedence over military solutions". According to the premier, he and Trump shared the same view of the European Union as an "institution undergoing deep crisis." He added that they jointly assessed the bloc's competitiveness, energy and migration policies. BRATISLAVA - A trade agreement signed between the EU and Mercosur countries on Saturday (17 January) is beneficial for both the European Union and Slovakia, for example in the automotive industry, which is crucial for the Slovak Republic, Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) said on JOJ 24's discussion programme 'Politika 24' (Politics 24) on Sunday. Takac pointed out that it poses the biggest risk for the agricultural sector, which is why Slovakia and other countries are demanding various guarantees in this field. "We demand a regular monthly monitoring of commodity imports so that this doesn't cause a problem. We demand that European standards in cultivating, breeding, and processing that our farmers must adhere to, should also be observed by suppliers from the third countries. And we demanded, and I've declared it several times and asked the European Commission for it, that a kind of a special fund is created to compensate the EU's agricultural sector for potential losses," said Takac. Nevertheless, Takac believes that the impacts of this agreement won't be felt by Slovaks in shops any significantly. He views imports from Ukraine as a "thousand-times" bigger problem in the field of agriculture. According to him, strict rules and restrictions must apply in this area. "That's why in 2023 we expanded the basic list of food commodities that are banned to be imported to Slovakia from Ukraine and extended it indefinitely," added Takac. The minister insists that this is the right approach, although the EC has reservations about it. BRATISLAVA/WASHINGTON/PALM BEACH - Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) described his Saturday's (17 January) talks with US President Donald Trump and his American counterpart Marco Rubio in Palm Beach, Florida, which he attended together with Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), as very open and direct, Foreign Affairs Ministry's communication department has informed TASR. "The issues we discussed jointly concerned our bilateral relations and diplomacy in foreign policy," said Blanar, adding that diplomacy is needed in every situation. "When it fails, bad solutions often follow, along with the destruction of international rules. Slovak diplomacy supports a policy oriented towards all cardinal directions, and that's also why our steps led to the United States, which is an important partner of Slovakia," stated the minister. As part of Premier Robert Fico’s working trip, the head of Slovak diplomacy took part in the signing of the Slovak-US inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy in Washington on Friday (16 January), along with Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) and Foreign Affairs Ministry's State Secretary Marek Estok. "Slovak diplomacy, together with the Economy Ministry, refined and successfully finalised an agreement between Slovakia and the USA on cooperation in the civil use of nuclear energy, which will lead to mutual cooperation in the construction of a nuclear power unit at Jaslovske Bohunice," stated Blanar. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) doesn't understand why the Slovak-US inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy was signed only now, if it was allegedly prepared for signing back in July. "Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) signed with USA an inter-governmental agreement that is a prerequisite for preparing a contract for the implementation of the project to build a new nuclear power unit in the Jaslovske Bohunice location. This is very good news for Slovakia's energy security, but why is the agreement being signed only now, if it was prepared, according to Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD), already in July 2025?" KDH has asked on a social network. KDH opines that Fico wanted to have a photo with US President Donald Trump and took the agreement hostage. "However, in the world of energy, a cruel fight is currently unfolding over the deadlines for the production of key components, such as reactor pressure vessels, steam generators or turbines, where literally every single day matters. Slovakia has lost half a year due to Robert Fico's vanity. This could be a fatal delay for the ambitious date of launching the power plant in 2040, and Slovakia could lose its energy self-sufficiency after the expected shutdown of the Bohunice V2 power plant," stated KDH. The premier was also criticised in this connection by opposition MP and 'For the People' party leader Veronika Remisova. She lambasted him for holding talks with Trump at a time when the US president was threatening to impose tariffs on countries that don't support his plan regarding Greenland. "There could have been no greater proof of Fico's loss of judgment in foreign policy. He is taking pictures with Donald Trump at the very moment when he is declaring a tariff war against our key partners in the European Union with the aim of plundering Greenland. This conflict will also directly threaten Slovakia's industry and jobs, but our quasi-sovereign in all four cardinal directions obviously failed to even hint at defending our interests before Trump," she said. jrg