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Slovakia's Fico Ready to Cooperate With Hungary's New Prime Minister
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 13, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 13, 2026
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Slovak PM Robert Fico congratulated Hungary’s incoming leader Péter Magyar after his election victory, reaffirming plans for “intensive cooperation” and joint efforts to secure energy interests, notably around the stalled Druzhba oil pipeline.
Slovak PM Fico Ready to Work Closely With Hungary's Incoming Prime Minister
Slovakia and Hungary: Political Transition and Future Cooperation
Fico Congratulates Magyar and Acknowledges Orban
April 13 (Reuters) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico congratulated Hungary's incoming leader, Peter Magyar, on Monday, offering "intensive cooperation", while expressing gratitude to outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban after a major election upset nL1N40V01B.
Fico, a key ally who had backed Orban nL1N40U06F before voting started, said Slovakia was ready for the close ties and joint action in protecting energy interests remained a goal.
Hungary's Election Outcome
Veteran nationalist Orban lost power in Sunday's election after 16 years in office, with Magyar and his upstart centre-right Tisza party winning a comfortable majority of seats in parliament.
"With full respect, I take note of the decision of the citizens of Hungary ... and am ready for intensive cooperation with the new Hungarian prime minister, whom I congratulate on the election result," Fico said in a statement.
Slovak-Hungarian Relations and Energy Cooperation
Historical Ties and Moscow Relations
Under Fico, who returned to office in 2023, Slovakia has been a close ally of Hungary, with both neighbours maintaining warm ties with Moscow, opposing European Union sanctions and keeping up purchases of Russian oil and gas.
Restoring Russian Oil Flows
The Druzhba Pipeline Situation
Both have sought to restore Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline, which has been out of action since late January after damage in Ukraine that Kyiv said was caused by a Russian strike.
Fico said he believed Slovakia, Hungary and central Europe were still interested in resuming its operation, adding that joint action with Hungary in protecting energy interests remained unchanged as a government goal.
Pipeline Repairs and Regional Tensions
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said pipeline repairs nL8N40S11K would be completed in spring. Fico and Orban have had tense relations with Zelenskiy despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Fico's Praise for Orban and Bilateral Relations
In a separate statement on Facebook, Fico said Slovak-Hungarian relations have never been at such a high level, and he praised Orban for exemplary cooperation and protection of sovereignty and national interests.
(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Key Takeaways
- •Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, decisively won Hungary’s April 12, 2026 election, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16‑year tenure with 138 parliamentary seats compared to Fidesz’s 54 (apnews.com).
- •Robert Fico pledged to Slovakia’s readiness for “intensive cooperation” with Hungary’s new PM and expressed gratitude to outgoing Viktor Orbán for prior collaboration (apnews.com).
- •Both Slovakia and Hungary remain focused on restoring Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline, which was halted in late January due to damage in Ukraine. Fico reaffirmed that joint action on energy security remains unchanged (en.wikipedia.org).
References
Frequently Asked Questions about Slovakia's Fico ready to cooperate with Hungary's new prime minister
1Who is Slovakia's Prime Minister?
Robert Fico is the current Prime Minister of Slovakia.
2What are Slovakia and Hungary's energy interests?
Both countries aim to restore Russian oil flows and cooperate on energy security, including the Druzhba pipeline.
3How have Slovakia and Hungary approached relations with the EU?
They have warm ties with Moscow and oppose EU sanctions, maintaining purchases of Russian oil and gas.
4What did Robert Fico say about Slovak-Hungarian relations?
Fico stated that Slovak-Hungarian relations have never been at a higher level, praising past cooperation.
