Slovak PM accuses opposition of sycophancy towards Zelenskyy
Pravda Ukraine
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has criticised the recent visit of Slovak MPs to Kyiv, calling it a “gesture of sycophancy”.
Source: Slovak news outlet Pravda, citing Fico in an address, as reported by European Pravda
Details: In the address, Fico accused opposition MPs of preparing a coup d’état. The Slovak prime minister stressed that the current government “will be ready for anything, especially for a possible Maidan” [referring to the 2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine].
Fico claimed that the Slovak MPs who visited Kyiv on 17 January had “kissed Zelenskyy’s ring” and promised support for Ukraine’s NATO membership if they gained power.
He also asserted that they had promised Slovakia would join in sending a contingent of Western troops to Ukraine.
“The government I lead will never support Ukraine’s membership in NATO, as it will only lead to World War III. We will also never propose sending troops to Ukraine to use their weapons against Russia,” he said.
He stressed that he plans to “respond” to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine and threatened to veto any further EU aid to Kyiv.
“Robert Fico is a Slovak prime minister, not a Ukrainian servant,” he added.
At the same time, Fico defended his fellow party member, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Tibor Gašpar, who has acknowledged the possibility of Slovakia’s withdrawal from the EU.
“I absolutely agree with him that Slovakia should prepare for all possible crises that the EU may face in a very short period of time,” he concluded.
Background:
- Gašpar, together with the leader of the nationalist Slovak National Party, Andrej Danko, recently made a several-day trip to Russia.
- Subsequently, it was reported that a delegation of Slovak opposition politicians had arrived in Kyiv to support friendly relations with Ukraine amidst the ongoing tensions between Kyiv and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
- On the same day, Zelenskyy held a meeting with Michal Šimečka, leader of the largest Slovak opposition party, Progressive Slovakia.
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