Premier Fico disagrees with military or financial support for Ukraine

"I refuse to support the war in Ukraine, and therefore I don't agree with military or financial support for that country," said PM Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Monday in the context of the planned EU summit in Brussels, adding that he intends to promote several issues at the summit.

The premier announced that he will attend the parliamentary committee on European affairs on Thursday (March 6), where he will seek approval for the stance he plans to present at the summit.

"If the European Union decides to continue providing massive financial and military support to Ukraine, it can only do so on a bilateral basis," said Fico, adding that Slovakia does not believe in the 'peace through strength' strategy, as it has proven unsuccessful over the past three years.

In response, the leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, Michal Simecka, stated that PM Fico is threatening to block the conclusions of the European Union (EU), thereby further isolating Slovakia. "Instead of contributing to the solution that the rest of the EU is striving for—a stable, lasting, and just peace in Ukraine—the premier is obstructing our partners," criticized Simecka. In his view, Fico is betraying Slovak interests at a historic moment when the future of Europe's security is being decided.

An extraordinary EU summit on support for Ukraine and European defense is scheduled to be held in Brussels on March 6. The summit has been convened to discuss how to respond to the drastic shift in U.S. policy towards the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also been invited.

Source: TASR