Slovakia’s newly elected Prime Minister Robert Fico pledged on Thursday to stop delivering weapons to Ukraine, just one day after taking office.
The prime minister told lawmakers that Slovakia would “no longer supply weapons to Ukraine” and would only send humanitarian aid to Kyiv, according to French newswire AFP.
“I will support zero military aid to Ukraine … An immediate halt to military operations is the best solution we have for Ukraine,” said Fico, who has had a fractious relationship with Ukraine going back over a decade. “The EU should change from an arms supplier to a peacemaker,” he added.
If you’re trying to find any logic or intent in what populist lying politician says, you’re doing it wrong.
If Fico said that the sky is blue, I’d go outside to check.
He just won election on the platform of russian lies and conspiracy theories. He’s a COVID denier that was privately recorded saying he personally had quite serious symptoms when he got it. He lies pretty much constantly.
Whatever he says has no reflection in reality. There was pretty much zero military help from Slovakia since we gave away the only S300 system and jets. The rest (ie Zuzana howitzer) is paid for by a third party or an actual contract. And he’s not stopping that - if anything he likely gets a cut off that deal. It’s just posturing for the portion of his voting base that eats russian propaganda he personally helped to spread.
Strategically it makes no sense to suck putin’s dick. Russia is done for no matter what happens in Ukraine. It’s a bankrupt pseudo-country on the verge of collapse. It makes zero sense losing the good will of the EU countries - many of which have bigger economies than russia - for anything russia can provide. And Fico isn’t some master planner. If there isn’t something in it for him, he isn’t interested. It’s that simple. And he needs EU money to fund projects he can then suck dry.
To add a bit more and a few clarifications:
At current rate it is not possible for Ukraine to actually, seriously lose the war. Even if UA was forced to start peace talks today they would remain a sovereign state, badly beaten and poor, but with immense will to ally themselves with the West, and the West won’t object (too much).
So for a Slovakian politician there is little to no risk in becoming a putin simp since there is no way Russia can credibly threaten him within the next 5 years. The very same mentality Orban is most likely having - Hungary is sheltered behind Carpathian mountains so there is no actual risk of russian boots on the ground. All the cash and dirty tricks from putin without much fear of his aggression, what’s not to like.
Fico must have gotten some sweet deals from the east and also there are all the suspicions around him that make him look like a plain mafia boss - and if there is one massive difference between russia and the EU it’s that russians don’t ask unpleasant questions and don’t bother too much with all this “rule of law” thingy.
It’s too early to call russia’s collapse and I would not underestimate the country’s resilience to isolation. “Best we can do” is a regime change, but there is zero viable political forces which would be willing to maintain long-term peace. At least in Central Europe the thinking is “russians lost this one, and badly, but round two is coming, if not in 5 years then in ten”.
Well there is the risk of losing Ukraine’s goodwill. It’s one of the biggest countries bordering Slovakia. I’m quite sure there will be a lot of money flowing to Ukraine pre-EU to support reconstruction and preparation for joining the EU. There are many contracts to be lost etc…
It just makes no sense to be on bad terms with your direct neighbor just so you can be a simp for constantly drunk guy down the street that has nothing to offer and no perspective.
I mean Slovakia found out that russian technicians were fucking with the jets they were maintaining for Slovak military.
But it all makes sense when you realize that Fico only follows his own interests. He couldn’t care less about his country.
Thanks for explaining.
It’s much clearer now.