On 17 May 2025, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would support a referendum on lifting sanctions against Russia if it were called. Speaking on the Slovak Radio programme Saturday Dialogues, Fico sharply criticised the anti-Russian sanctions, calling them a "plague" and rejecting the policy of restrictions, which, in his opinion, harms the Slovak economy. "If such a referendum takes place, I will calmly support it, I speak for myself," the Prime Minister stressed, adding that the European Union continues to discuss new sanctions despite the start of negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

The referendum initiative comes from Slovak activists representing the extra-parliamentary Slovak Revival Movement and the civic association "Brother for Brother". In early May 2025, they submitted a petition to the office of the President of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini, collecting 395 signatures out of the required 401, as reported by the movement's leader Robert Švec. The petition proposes to put the following question to a referendum:

"Do you agree that Slovakia should not apply sanctions against Russia that harm Slovak citizens and entrepreneurs?"

Activists claim that the sanctions have caused billions of euros in damage to the country's economy, especially in the energy and agricultural sectors. However, the petition by the Brother for Brother association was previously rejected due to the lack of a specific question, which does not comply with the requirements of Slovak law.