President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico have discussed Ukraine’s EU membership bid, bilateral relations and possible reciprocal visits, according to a Ukrainian presidential readout published on 2 May.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a phone call with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on 2 May, in a discussion that focused on bilateral relations and Ukraine’s European integration.
The Ukrainian presidential readout said Zelenskyy told Fico that Ukraine and Slovakia needed strong relations. According to the same account, Fico said he supported that approach and that Slovakia was interested in maintaining such ties.
The readout said “particular attention” was given to Ukraine’s European integration aspirations. It stated that the Slovak prime minister stressed Slovakia’s support for Ukraine’s membership of the European Union and its readiness to share its own accession experience.
The call is notable because Slovakia is both an EU and NATO member bordering Ukraine. Bratislava’s position matters within the EU, where Ukraine’s accession process depends on agreement among member states at key stages of the negotiations.
Ukraine was granted EU candidate status in June 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion earlier that year. The accession process has since become one of Kyiv’s central foreign policy objectives, alongside military support, financial assistance and security guarantees.
The 2 May call did not produce a public agreement or formal timetable. The available Ukrainian account instead pointed to a diplomatic opening: both leaders exchanged invitations to visit Kyiv and Bratislava and discussed the possibility of meeting in person in the near future. Their teams are expected to work on scheduling such a meeting.
That wording suggests a limited but practical step in bilateral engagement. For Kyiv, direct contact with neighbouring EU capitals remains important as accession talks move through technical and political stages. For Bratislava, engagement with Ukraine provides a channel to address bilateral issues while maintaining a role in EU-level discussions about Ukraine’s future.
The readout did not specify which accession topics were discussed, nor did it mention trade, energy, transit, military support or sanctions. It also did not provide detail on whether Slovakia’s support would extend to specific EU procedural steps. Any wider interpretation should therefore be treated with caution unless confirmed by further official statements.
The immediate significance lies in the fact that Ukraine and Slovakia publicly confirmed a discussion on EU membership at leadership level. The call gives Kyiv a clear diplomatic line to use as it seeks to maintain momentum for accession talks and preserve political backing among EU member states.
For EU institutions, the issue remains part of a broader enlargement agenda involving Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans. Ukraine’s accession process is expected to remain politically sensitive because it involves institutional reform, budgetary consequences, agricultural policy, rule-of-law benchmarks and the security implications of integrating a country at war.
For Slovakia, the issue carries domestic and regional dimensions. As a neighbouring state, it has direct interests in border management, infrastructure, trade flows, energy links and post-war reconstruction. Sharing accession experience would be relevant because Slovakia joined the EU in 2004 after a demanding reform process linked to democratic governance, economic restructuring and alignment with EU law.
The exchange of invitations may become the next test of whether the call leads to a more structured political dialogue. A meeting in Kyiv or Bratislava would give both sides an opportunity to clarify their positions in more detail and to address the practical questions that accompany Ukraine’s European path.
For now, the public record supports a cautious reading: Zelenskyy and Fico spoke directly, both sides signalled interest in stronger bilateral relations, and Ukraine’s EU membership was discussed positively in the Ukrainian account. Further confirmation from Bratislava would be needed before treating the call as a broader shift in Slovak policy.
