In brief: Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on Thursday, Nov. 5 in Lviv, along with an agreement on bilingual schools, as Bratislava pledged three electric locomotives and €1 million ($1.14 million) in aid for generators, shelters and hospital equipment. The visit appears to signal a softening of Fico’s stance toward Kyiv after weeks of friction. Koretskyi separately warned that western Ukraine cannot assume it will be spared Russian strikes this winter and that the area may again be asked to send energy crews to Kyiv and frontline regions.
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on Thursday, Nov. 5, in a visit that appears to mark a departure from Russian-leaning Fico’s previous diplomatic stance toward Kyiv.
The declaration was signed during intergovernmental consultations between the two governments in Lviv and sets out the practical agreements reached at the talks, as well as projects still in the pipeline.
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“It outlines all the practical agreements reached today and planned projects, serving as a clear roadmap for our teams,” Koretskyi said in a statement.
The two leaders also signed an intergovernmental agreement to open a bilingual Ukrainian-English gymnasium in Slovakia and a Slovak-English one in Ukraine, with both expected to launch next academic year.
“It is extremely important for us to maintain contact with Ukrainians, especially children who are abroad due to the war,” Koretskyi added.
Slovakia pledges locomotives, generators, financial aid
Bratislava pledged to hand over three electric locomotives to Ukraine’s state-owned railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia.
Kyiv, Koretskyi said, expects them to run on European-standard track in the Zakarpattia region by the end of the year.
Slovakia has also provided a €500,000 ($570,000) energy assistance package, which will fund the delivery of 54 generators to Ukraine by the end of November.
A further €300,000 ($340,000) will go to the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition and €200,000 ($230,000) to medical equipment for Ukrainian hospitals.
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EU path discussed as well
The two sides also discussed opening the two remaining negotiation clusters in Ukraine’s EU accession talks and launching an EU Macro-Regional Strategy for the Carpathian region.
Ukraine aims to open all six negotiation clusters by the year-end. So far, it opened four.
According to Koretskyi, the two countries will also sign a Framework Agreement on financial cooperation under the EU’s SAFE instrument, launching energy reconstruction projects worth more than €100 million ($112 million) under the Ukraine Investment Framework.
At the shared border, the governments are working to introduce an electronic queue system and joint control procedures, while expanding passenger and cargo capacity at crossings.
Western regions warned ahead of winter
During his visit, Koretskyi also met with regional authorities in the Lviv region, alongside government officials and lawmakers.
Getting through the heating season remained central to the agenda.
According to Koretskyi’s estimates, Russia launches 300 to 400 drones a day at critical infrastructure, along with various types of missiles, including ballistics.
Although the attacks are currently concentrated on frontline areas, central regions and Kyiv, he warned that the western regions cannot “rely on the assumption” that they will be spared in Russia’s winter campaign.
On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the government approved monthly bonuses of Hr. 30,000 ($670) for energy, utility and railway workers restoring infrastructure damaged in Russian strikes, as repair crews face the threat of the so-called double-tap attacks.
From Toronto Pledge snub to children’s coalition
Koretskyi also highlighted Slovakia’s decision to become a full member of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children – a reversal that came only weeks after Bratislava stood apart from its EU partners on the issue.
In early October, Slovakia emerged as the only EU member state that refused to endorse the Toronto Pledge, a declaration committing signatories to secure the return of Ukrainian children unlawfully deported to Russia.
The opposition Freedom and Solidarity party (SaS) disclosed the refusal on Oct. 9, accusing Fico’s government of collaborating with the Kremlin.
On Nov. 2, Slovak State Secretary for EU Affairs Marek Eštok announced that Bratislava had joined the coalition.
It remains unclear whether Slovakia will also sign the Toronto Pledge.
Since returning to power in late 2023, Fico has ended state-funded military aid to Ukraine and traveled to Moscow in May to attend Victory Day commemorations alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In September, EU ambassadors also failed for a second time to extend sanctions on more than 3,000 Russian individuals and entities after Slovakia, later joined by France, demanded the delisting of oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.
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