Czech-Slovak relations chill to glacial

Relations between the Czech Republic and Slovakia since the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 have been consistently good, close and characterized by mutual trust.

The governments of the two neighboring countries have supported each other and cooperated on defense.

Their respective languages are understood in both countries, and tens of thousands of young Slovaks study at Czech universities, which have a reputation for offering higher-quality education.

The first foreign trip for a newly elected Czech or Slovak president has always been to the other country, and joint cabinet meetings are held at least once a year.

And in surveys, the citizens of each country consistently rank the other as their favorite country. Or at least they used to.

End of an exceptional relationship?

Since Robert Fico became prime minister in Slovakia for the fourth time in October 2023, relations between these two next-door neighbors have deteriorated and chilled significantly.

Fico's nationalist, pro-Russian government, which models itself on that of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has repeatedly clashed with the pro-Ukrainian Czech government of Petr Fiala. So much so that Prague actually canceled the traditional meeting of both governments in March 2024.

The message from the Czech capital was that the "exceptional relationship" was terminated indefinitely.

"We do not consider it appropriate to conduct governmental meetings with the government of the Slovak Republic in the coming weeks or months," Fiala told journalists at the time. "There is no hiding that there are considerable differences of opinion on several important foreign policy issues."

Earlier this year, Fiala again ruled out renewing the joint meetings.

Differences over Ukraine

Fico, who had ordered a halt to military aid for Ukraine from the Slovak government and reestablished relations with Moscow, responded by accusing Fiala's government of warmongering.

"We note that the Czech government has decided to risk our relationship just because it is interested in supporting the war in Ukraine, while the Slovak government wants to speak openly about peace," Fico posted on social media.

Although cooperation on practical projects continued at a low level, the warmth and mutual understanding of the previous three decades has dissipated entirely, particularly as Slovakia's rapprochement with Russia continues.

The culmination of this rapprochement was Fico's participation in the May 9 Victory Day Parade in Moscow earlier this month. He was the only head of government in the European Union to attend.

Growing distance between two populations

Domestic developments in Slovakia, where the government has been taking action against independent public media and cultural institutions, making the fight against political corruption more difficult, are also not going down well in the Czech Republic.

The cooling of relations between the two governments is now starting to impact attitudes in society.

According to the annual survey conducted by the Czech polling institute STEM, published just a few days ago, Slovakia has slipped from its traditional top spot on the list of Czech citizens' favorite countries to 10th in the ranking.

'Clear drop' in Slovakia's popularity

"The attitude of the Czech Republic towards other countries and foreign politicians remains largely stable in 2025. However, the current survey registers a clear drop for Slovakia and the United States," the institute noted on its website.

"It is highly probable that the clear decline in positive attitudes after the downward trend of the last two years is linked to the current political situation in the country, where relations with the Czech Republic cooled after the Fico government came to power in fall 2023," STEM analyst Silvia Petty told the media.

The chill in relations was accelerated when the clearly pro-Western Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, who was hugely popular in the Czech Republic, was succeeded by Fico's minister and preferred presidential candidate Peter Pellegrini.

"Pellegrini has an approval rating of 38% among Czech men and women, which is much lower than that of his predecessor, Caputova. She had an approval rating of 68% among Czechs in the final year of her presidency," said Petty.

1 in 5 Slovaks support Russia

But it's apparently not only the governments of both countries that disagree on Ukraine— so too do their respective citizens.

According to a survey conducted by the institute CVVM in April 2025, 58% of Czech citizens support military aid for Ukraine. According to an Ipsos survey from early 2025, only 16% of Slovaks do.

Indeed, one-third of those who voted for Fico's Smer party and 20% of Slovaks overall would welcome a Russian victory in Ukraine. In the Czech Republic, only 7% would. 

The Slovak weekly magazine Tyzden noted that Czech President Petr Pavel received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Prague Castle just days before Fico visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The photos from Prague Castle and the Kremlin defined the character of two opposing worlds, noted the magazine's editor-in-chief, Stefan Hrib.

Slovak opposition welcome in Prague

Members of the ruling coalition in Bratislava are trying to play down the gulf between the two neighbors.

"The basic message should be that despite some differences of opinion at government and sometimes even presidential level, our common foundation still exists," Richard Rasi, spokesperson of the Slovak parliament and deputy chair of the coalition party Hlas, told DW.

Rasi went on to say that while a joint meeting of the two governments before the parliamentary election in the Czech Republic in October is unthinkable, he believes that "we will return to the negotiating table after the elections."

The Slovak opposition, which is led by the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, has good relations with Prague. PS politicians such as party leader Michal Simecka and former foreign minister and former Slovak ambassador to Berlin, Ivan Korcok, are received at the highest levels in the Czech capital.

What does the future hold?

Korcok narrowly lost the Slovak presidential election last year and joined PS in late 2024.

Speaking to DW during his recent visit to Prague, he said: "I would like to say this to the Czechs: Believe me, there is a political alternative in Slovakia in the form of the opposition and Progressive Slovakia. It will bring Slovakia back from the periphery to the center of Europe and restore our wonderful Czech-Slovak relations."

Since the start of the year, Progressive Slovakia has been ahead in all polls. Were an election to take place now, it and other opposition parties would win a parliamentary majority.

In the Czech Republic, however, the ANO movement led by Czech oligarch Andrej Babis, is ahead in the polls. Babis has made no bones of his support for both Fico and Hungary's Viktor Orban.

So, if the polls are right, the political leadership of both countries could change, but the current political ice age would continue.

This article was originally written in German.