The new Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico, has publicly confirmed what he had been saying since his campaign: he will not follow the previous government’s policies towards Ukraine.
In fact, Fico has now vowed to thwart Kiev’s plans in a number of ways, from vetoing their NATO membership, to stopping all military aid, up until joining Hungary’s blockage of EU’s €50 billion package.
Since MSM is asleep at the wheel, we went to find this story in Azeri and Ukrainian news sources.
EN reported:
“Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico said that at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Denis Shmygal, which will take place on January 24 in Uzhgorod, he will announce that he will block Ukraine’s membership in NATO since this would mean the beginning of the Third World War, APA reports citing Political Lore.
‘I know what I’m going with (to the meeting with the Ukrainian prime minister), I’m going with humanitarian aid, we’ll confirm that they will not receive any weapons from the Slovak army and from state warehouses, I’ll say that there are things on which our views are completely different. […] I will say that I am against Ukraine’s membership in NATO, that I will use the right of veto and block it because this will be the foundation of the Third World War’ – Fico said on Saturday.”
Fico thinks the January 24 meeting in Uzhgorod will be ‘interesting’.
The Slovak government will focus on humanitarian assistance and no longer send weapons to Ukraine.
“The Cabinet of Ministers, headed by Fico, did not approve the proposal of the previous government, which concerned sending the next package of military assistance to Ukraine for 40.3 million euros.”
Slovakia had sent 13 packages of military assistance worth 671 million Euros, so far.
Ukrainian World Congress reported:
“’It is not surprising that the party that holds the majority in the Slovak government would not agree to Ukraine’s NATO membership, as it would be the beginning of the third world war’, Fico stated in an interview with InfoVojna.
Fico stated that Slovakia would veto decisions as long as ‘[he has] the ability to influence the Slovak political scene‘. At the same time, the Slovak Prime Minister is convinced that Ukraine will never join NATO. Additionally, Fico believes that Ukraine needs years to join the European Union, but he will not oppose this accession.
‘If making such an overrated political gesture is needed to support Ukraine, I have no problem with it… but it must fulfill all the conditions’, concluded Fico.”
That means that Fico half-heartedly supports the Ukrainian EU accession, but not the financial aid, and backs Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán’s fight with the block.
The Fico-Orbán alliance is unusual, but the leftist Slovakian and Hungarian right winger seem to have found a lot in common.
Associated Press reported:
“Following bilateral talks in Budapest, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he agrees with Orbán’s position that the EU should not finance a planned 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package to Kyiv from the bloc’s common budget, and echoed Orbán’s assertions that the war in Ukraine cannot be resolved through military means.
‘We have listened very carefully to the proposals that Prime Minister (Orbán)… has already put forward in relation to the review of the budget and aid to Ukraine, and I will repeat that we consider them to be rational and sensible’, Fico said.”
Read more:
The post Slovakian PM Fico: Will Veto Ukrainian NATO Membership Bid, No More Military Aid to Kiev – Supports Hungary’s Orbán Against EU Pressure appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.