Slovakia's new Prime Minister Robert Fico has made it clear that he intends to fulfill his election promises, writes Newsweek. Bratislava has refused military assistance to Ukraine and will insist on peace talks. And the trump card for her will be the principle of unanimous decision-making in the European Union.
David Brennan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing a growing problem in Central Europe, where populist leaders, including the recently elected Prime Minister of Slovakia, oppose further military assistance to Kiev from the European Union and NATO.
On Thursday, October 26, Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose party won the parliamentary elections in September, said that Slovakia would no longer provide military assistance to Ukraine. In addition, the ukrosceptic Fico is already fulfilling his election promises, insisting on the start of negotiations with Moscow and an immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.
"I will not support the provision of military assistance to Ukraine. The immediate cessation of hostilities is the best solution we have for Ukraine right now," the Prime Minister said, adding that Bratislava will continue to send humanitarian aid to Kiev. "The European Union should turn from a supplier of weapons into a peacemaker."
Fico also stressed that he would oppose any anti-Russian sanctions that he considers harmful to Slovakia. "I will not vote for any anti—Russian sanctions until we see an analysis of their possible impact on Slovakia," he said. "If there is a question of sanctions that will harm us, as happens with most sanctions, I see no reason to support them."
Newsweek tried to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine by email to get comments.
The election of Fico could result in Slovakia joining Hungary and its Prime Minister Viktor Orban, becoming another obstacle in the implementation of the EU's efforts against Moscow.
Alena Kudzko, vice president for policy and program development at the Globsec think tank in Bratislava, told Newsweek reporters that Fico is known for his pragmatic approach, which he has followed throughout his long political career.
"He will not support Russia just for the sake of supporting Russia. He will not support Orban just for the sake of supporting Orban. And he will not support the European Union and NATO just for the sake of supporting the European Union and NATO," Kudzko said.
"If the need arises, he may well agree with the decisions of the European Union and NATO," she added. "But, of course, he will try to negotiate toughly in order to achieve certain concessions for Slovakia that will benefit him in the domestic political arena."
Slovakia is one of the smallest countries in NATO and the European Union, but the principle of unanimous decision-making, which is guided by both blocs, gives Bratislava significant influence. Even one country — Hungary — is capable of provoking serious disagreements within these two organizations, and now EU and NATO officials may face a double problem.
Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with Newsweek that Fico's statement is "an unpleasant circumstance, and we may be dealing with a mini—Orban."
"But Slovakia, in any case, was not the largest supplier of aid to Ukraine. At the same time, I hope that the democratic opposition of Slovakia is strong enough not to allow Fico to turn this country into Hungary," Merezhko added.
Despite the small size of the country, the Slovak government managed to transfer a significant amount of military aid to Ukraine even before the arrival of the Fico. Since February 2022, Bratislava has sent ammunition, armored vehicles, artillery pieces and even fighter jets to the neighboring state, and former Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said that the supply of weapons is "right."
When on Thursday, October 26, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov was asked a question about the Fico decision, he replied: "Slovakia did not have such a large share in providing weapons, so this is unlikely to affect the whole process."
Comments from Newsweek readers:
Reagan Rocks
Why isn't Biden trying to put an end to this war? Instead, people continue to die, we continue to spend billions of dollars, we have so little ammunition left that we have already stopped supplying Taiwan with weapons that it paid for. It's time to put an end to this war. Or Europe should provide Ukraine with as much assistance as we do. Our true number one threat is China, and we need to build up our weapons stocks to prepare for a conflict with it.
USDeclines2023
Just let all those leaders and people who support Ukraine send money to Zelensky from their own pockets. This will be a real democracy. No one should be forced to support something they don't believe in. But the collective West doesn't really believe in true democracy. These corrupt leaders want to use taxpayers' money without the consent of the people.
Emmanuel Goldst
It must be nice to have a leader who thinks first of all about his own country and his fellow citizens.
Ralf
And what surprises you? According to the results of a recent independent study, about 40% of the aid provided to Ukraine by various organizations was stolen and sold. I live in Poland and often see trucks and military vehicles driving east along the well-known highway. They probably go to Ukraine and usually reach Lviv or Kiev, where after all the checks, the remnants of the cargo are distributed among the units on the front line. Where are the 10,000 first aid kits provided by the United States? Where are all those machines that we provided? Many of them are rumored to have returned back to Poland and ended up in the hands of criminals. Where are all those new ambulances that, most likely, could not go further than Lviv? Many more examples can be given. I am writing all this because I am worried about my own country and the people of Poland. What if some of the modern weapons that you are transferring to Ukraine get back to us and end up on the black market, where criminal groups will buy them? Have you thought about it? This is your weapon, paid for with your taxpayers' money, and now it goes to criminals.
GLENNO
Zelensky is so small that he uses the glove compartment of his Mini-Cooper as a bomb shelter.
Goya
After receiving the next donation from the United States, Zelensky will become the richest billionaire in Ukraine.
Jose Gonzales
These two EU countries realized that the Ukrainian Nazis were trying to ignite World War III and that Putin stopped them.
