Slovak PM Fico does not attend summit in Ukraine despite plans to do so
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has not attended the Carpathian Initiative summit, which is taking place in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast on 18-20 September.
Fico's absence is also confirmed by a video shared on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's official channel.
Today, for the first time, here in Ukraine, in our part of the Carpathians, we hold a Summit that brings together all the Carpathian states, the regions and communities of our countries. We are launching a new format – “C8,” the Carpathian Eight – bringing together us and our… pic.twitter.com/tcIupMsBBK
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 18, 2026
Earlier, Slovak media outlets, including Ta3, reported that Fico planned to arrive in Ukraine on 18 September. The Slovak prime minister also spoke about his intention to travel to Ukraine at a press conference on 17 September, where he also said that he "does not want war to come to Slovakia because of some Article 5" of NATO.
European Pravda sources say Slovakia will be represented at the summit at a lower diplomatic level than the prime minister.
The Carpathian Initiative is a summit being held for the first time at Zelenskyy's initiative, aimed at bringing together all the countries, regions and districts of the Carpathian region. The Ukrainian president has said that it marks the launch of a new format, the Carpathian Eight. In addition to Ukraine, it is intended to include Romania, Serbia, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia, Austria, Hungary and, more broadly, the European Union.