How Slovenia's policy could change under a new prime minister supported by "Putin's friends"

Today, on 22 May Slovenia will vote for a new prime minister. There is already no doubt that it will be, for the fourth time, the leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), Janez Janša.

Even those political forces that had ruled out cooperation with Janša before the elections now plan to vote in favour of a vote of confidence in his government. In addition, the Resni.ca [Truth] party, led by the pro-Russian speaker Zoran Stevanović, will also vote for Janša’s appointment (although formally this political force will not enter the coalition).

Janez Janša has a very controversial reputation in Slovenia.

Read more in the article by Yurii Panchenko, co-founder of European Pravda: A problematic friend of Ukraine: what changes the new Slovenian government promises and where the danger for Kyiv may lie.

The parliamentary elections held on 22 March 2026, were not a triumph for Janez Janša.

His party, which throughout the campaign had shown a significant lead over Prime Minister Robert Golob’s Freedom Movement, unexpectedly came in second place, albeit with a narrow gap.

Thus, the results of the 22 March elections appeared to give Robert Golob a mandate for a new term as prime minister. However, things turned out quite differently.

On 10 April, the newly elected parliament chose as speaker the pro-Russian populist and leader of the Resni.ca party, Zoran Stevanović. This led to talk of forming a new coalition, in which Janša’s party is supported by all center-right forces (New Slovenia, Democrats and the Focus Movement), while the votes needed for a majority will be provided by Resni.ca.

What did the right-wing coalition manage to agree on?

One of the most controversial initiatives is the cancellation of state funding for most non-governmental organisations, which has sparked sharp criticism from the civil sector.

It is being compared to the practices of Viktor Orbán’s government in Hungary.

No less radical changes are planned in foreign policy.

Under the new government, Slovenia may withdraw its recognition of Palestinian independence. It may also move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

And almost certainly, the new government will cancel sanctions imposed on a number of Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had been declared persona non-gratae in Slovenia under Golob’s government.

But will this foreign policy "revolution" affect relations with Ukraine?

Janez Janša, both as prime minister in 2022 and later in opposition, consistently supported providing aid to Ukraine and imposing sanctions against Russia. He also criticised Robert Golob’s government for insufficient support.

A sign of the continuity of his position is the candidate for foreign minister in the new government – MEP and SDS vice president Romana Tomc.

Although she worked in the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, her stance on Ukraine is not in doubt.

However, there are two risk factors for Ukraine. The first is the new majority’s dependence on the votes of the Resni.ca party.

The second risk factor is Janša’s orientation towards US President Donald Trump. As is known, Trump is not a supporter of Ukraine and has a weakness for authoritarian leaders, especially Vladimir Putin.

However, one should also keep another thing in mind. Janša knows firsthand how difficult the struggle for independence can be and how a former empire is ready to kill in order not to let a country escape its influence. He was a dissident during the Yugoslav era.