MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 14 March 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 13 March): BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has called on the leaders of the parliamentary parties to append their signatures to his letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asking him to resume Russian oil transit via Ukraine, TASR has learnt from the premier's letter published on social media on Friday. If the Druzhba pipeline is damaged, Fico also asked Zelenskyy to allow an inspection team from the European Commission (EC) and the affected countries to assess the extent of the damage, while also urging him to accept the EC's offer to finance any necessary repairs, along with Slovakia's offer to provide its repair capacities. "Chairpersons of the relevant political parties, add your signatures to this letter to the Ukrainian President and let us stand together for Slovakia's energy security as a fundamental national interest over which there can be no dispute in Slovakia," stated Fico. In the letter, Fico recalled Slovakia's assistance to the people of Ukraine and noted that his government supports Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union. However, the Ukrainian president's unilateral decisions to halt gas transit and suspend oil supplies are causing economic damage to Slovakia, stated Fico. "In accordance with applicable EU decisions and exemptions from sanctions against the Russian Federation, Slovakia is entitled to continue receiving oil of Russian origin," he stressed. The premier has already announced that the letter will be signed by representatives of the coalition parties. Opposition parties are unlikely to follow suit, with some of their representatives having already rejected the call in advance. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) should sign a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin from the Slovak opposition parties, chairman of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party Michal Simecka, MP Frantisek Miklosko (Christian Democrats/KDH) and vice-chairman of the extra-parliamentary Democrats Juraj Seliga told a briefing on Friday. They were responding to Fico's call for the leaders of parliamentary parties to add their signatures to a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Fico asks Zelenskyy to resume the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine. "We, opposition parties, reject this manipulation. We propose that the coalition should co-sign a letter that we, the opposition parties standing here, have drafted. The letter will be addressed to Vladimir Putin, because the instigator of the conflict [in Ukraine] is Vladimir Putin. He decided to send tanks, drones and missiles to Ukraine. That bloody war has been going on for more than four years. It was his decision to start bombing oil infrastructure in Ukraine. It was as a result of this bombing that the Druzhba pipeline was damaged, and that's why Slovakia is facing problems with oil supplies today," said Simecka. According to KDH leader Milan Majersky, Robert Fico is in power, so he must take action. "He won't get our signatures on his alibi letter. Instead of trying to shirk responsibility and cowardly hide behind the opposition, Fico must address the public's problems, high prices and the issues facing hauliers. KDH won't assist the premier in his political show. We call on him to finally start governing properly and take full political responsibility for the state of the country, or, if he can't handle it, to step down and stop harming Slovakia," added the KDH chairman. Leader of the opposition 'Slovakia' party Igor Matovic stated the he'd "gladly sign Fico's resignation letter". "Robert Fico should stop embarrassing himself. He's had plenty of opportunities to travel to Ukraine and meet President Zelenskyy face-to-face. He now wants to cover up his fear and incompetence with some fig-leaf in the form of a letter. The only document I'd gladly sign alongside Fico is a proposal to shorten the current government's term," added Matovic. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has criticised the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry for supporting discussions on removing Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from the European Union sanctions list. PS presidium member Ivan Korcok claimed that Slovak diplomacy will only give its consent to extend EU sanctions against more than 2,600 Russian individuals and companies if the two oligarchs are removed from the list. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Korcok questioned how such action would serve Slovakia's interests. "Today is the last moment when this sanctions list of 2,600 persons can be extended. The scandal that directly demonstrates Russia's influence on Slovak foreign policy lies in the fact that Slovakia is requesting and conditioning its consent to extend the validity of this sanctions list on the removal of two specific individuals, citizens of the Russian Federation," said Korcok. Korcok added that PS doesn't understand why removing these two individuals should be in Slovakia's interests. PS believes that the ministry is acting in Russia's interests instead. Bratislava, 13 March (TASR) - In response to claims made by the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, which has criticised the Foreign Affairs Ministry for supporting discussions on removing Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov from the European Union's (EU) sanctions list, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) has denied that he discussed the sanctions list with new Russian ambassador to Slovakia Sergey Andreev. "[PS presidium member] Ivan Korcok criticises me for receiving the Russian ambassador to Slovakia. I received him during a standard introductory visit as a newly arrived ambassador, just as I do with all new ambassadors. Slovak diplomacy is interested in maintaining good relations with the Russian Federation as well as with other countries with which we may not agree on everything. And I absolutely reject Korcok's fabricated claim that I spoke with him about the sanctions list," said Blanar. POPRAD - The reconstruction of Poprad Hospital will be completed according to schedule, by the end of June, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice–SD) confirmed at a press briefing following an inspection day at the construction site on Friday. Hospital director Stanislav Kandrik added that the project is currently more than 90-percent complete and work is nearing its final stage. "The comprehensive renovation and reconstruction of the hospital is an investment exceeding €52 million. During today's inspection day I've already seen concrete results – floors one to five and the tenth floor are completely finished. I want to guarantee personally that all milestones will be met within the set deadlines. Overall, we're talking about 452 modernised or newly provided beds, which is a respectable number," said Sasko. The minister added that the project also includes related investments beyond the hospital building itself. BRATISLAVA - Inflation cooled to 3.7 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) in February, down from 4 percent in January, with consumer prices of goods and services rising by 0.1 percent month-on-month (m-o-m), the Statistics Office reported on Friday. Inflation hit its lowest point since the beginning of 2025, returning to the level last seen in November 2025. Compared to February 2025, prices rose in 12 of the 13 sectors, with the growth ranging from 0.9 percent in furniture and household equipment to 7.1 percent in hotels and restaurants. Conversely, the transport sector was the only category to record a year-on-year drop, with prices falling by 0.9 percent. The inflation rate was affected significantly by the most dominant categories in the structure of household expenditures, i.e. housing including energy and food and non-alcoholic beverages, in which prices increased by 6 and 2.7 percent y-o-y, respectively. am