Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has firmly denied that his country joined the international “coalition of the willing” supporting Ukraine, after reports that Slovakia’s ambassador attended a meeting of the group in Paris.

The controversy erupted after the euBrief news outlet reported that the French Embassy had confirmed Slovakia’s membership in the coalition. The report triggered confusion within Fico’s government and criticism from both its nationalist coalition partner and opposition politicians.

“Slovakia was not, is not and will not be a member of the coalition of the willing,” Fico declared in a statement published on social media. He described the initiative as a “war coalition” and insisted that he had never participated in any of its meetings.

According to Fico, he contacted French Ambassador to Slovakia Nicolas Suran and asked the French Embassy to stop disseminating what he called false information. The Slovak prime minister said Suran acknowledged that the situation was the result of a misunderstanding and promised that the French side would clarify the matter publicly.

However, the ambassador’s presence at the Paris meeting has made Bratislava’s position more difficult to explain.

Ambassador attended meeting as an observer

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár confirmed that Slovakia’s ambassador to France, Ján Šoth, attended a coalition meeting in Paris on July 13. Blanár maintained that the diplomat was present only as an observer, alongside other representatives of the diplomatic community.

The Slovak Embassy did not publicly report Šoth’s participation in the meeting. Its social media coverage from the period instead concentrated on the following day’s Bastille Day celebrations and the participation of Slovak soldiers in the military parade.

Fico said he did not attend the French National Day events and had instructed the ambassador to represent Slovakia in his place. Nevertheless, the coalition meeting was held a day before the parade, raising questions about whether Šoth had received a separate mandate to attend it.

The Slovak Foreign Ministry has requested an explanation from the French Embassy concerning statements that appeared to identify Slovakia as a coalition member.

According to euBrief, the French Embassy initially provided an unambiguous written response stating that Slovakia had joined the coalition and was regarded as one of its members. The outlet also reported that Slovakia took part in the Paris meeting and accepted its concluding statement, although it did not join a separate initiative concerning integrated ballistic missile defence.

The French side subsequently stressed that it had not issued an official public statement confirming Slovak membership. It acknowledged, however, that the Slovak ambassador attended the July 13 meeting.

Informal structure creates room for interpretation

The dispute is complicated by the informal nature of the coalition of the willing. Unlike NATO or the European Union, it does not have a conventional accession procedure or an official membership system. Consequently, participation in its meetings can be interpreted differently by the governments involved.

Former Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Wlachovský argued that Slovakia effectively joined the initiative by attending the meeting. He acknowledged that Bratislava could describe its role as observational, but noted that other coalition participants might reasonably regard Slovakia’s presence as involvement in the group’s activities.

Opposition politicians accused the government of deliberately maintaining an ambiguous position. Ivan Korčok, a former foreign minister and deputy leader of Progressive Slovakia, questioned what observer status meant in practice.

“It looks like we want to be there and we do not want to be there at the same time,” he said.

Korčok also criticised the government for demanding explanations from the French ambassador while declining to take similarly decisive diplomatic action against Russia over alleged cyberattacks targeting Slovakia.

The Slovak National Party, a junior member of Fico’s governing coalition, reiterated its strong opposition to Slovakia participating in the coalition. The party’s response indicated that even limited involvement could cause tensions within the government.

Fico maintains opposition to military support

Fico has repeatedly opposed Slovak military assistance to Ukraine and called for a negotiated end to the conflict. He insists that cooperation with Kyiv should be restricted to humanitarian assistance and mutually beneficial civilian projects.

His government refuses to donate lethal weapons, participate in military financing initiatives or support loans intended for Ukraine’s war effort. This policy reflects the strongly pro-Russian views held by a significant part of Fico’s electorate.

At the same time, Slovakia’s defence industry has experienced rapid growth since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Revenues generated by the country’s largest arms producers reportedly rose from €281 million in 2021 to approximately €1.1 billion in 2025.

The Paris controversy therefore exposes the tensions within Slovakia’s approach to the war. While Fico publicly rejects initiatives associated with military support for Kyiv, Slovak diplomats continue to engage with the European governments organising that assistance. Whether the ambassador’s participation represented a diplomatic observation mission or a tentative shift in policy remains disputed.