EU budget battle erupts as four countries defy Merz over Ukraine aid

Detailed summary

Slovakia's Robert Fico accused the German chancellor of "blackmail" as four EU countries resisted his demand to link approval of the bloc's next long-term budget to fresh financial support for Ukraine. #EuropeNews

The leaders of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria have pushed back against German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ultimatum to make approval of the EU's next long-term budget conditional on fresh financial support for Ukraine.Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico denounced the move as a "textbook case of blackmail" and threatened to wield his veto."We have an equal say in this matter," Fico said on Tuesday as he welcomed his Czech counterpart, Andrej Babiš, in Bratislava."Just as Mr Merz talks about using his veto, I can say exactly the same.

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