Fico: Slovakia won’t be part of new "iron curtain" while I’m PM

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has strongly opposed efforts to sever ties between the European Union and Russia, declaring that as long as he remains in office, Slovakia will not be part of what he described as a renewed “iron curtain.”

During a visit to the Central Military Memorial Cemetery of the Red Army in the eastern Slovak town of Michalovce on May 6, Fico denounced growing efforts to isolate Russia and warned of the economic and diplomatic risks such moves pose to Europe, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“There is a drive to lower an iron curtain again between Europe and Russia,” Fico stated in his speech. “As long as I am the chairman of the Slovak government, I will do everything so that Slovakia is not part of that iron curtain. We will do everything to find open doors in this curtain — for cooperation, for friendship, and for peace. Because we all want peace — no one wants war.”

Fico went on to recall the obstacles he personally encountered when travelling to Moscow in December 2024, using his experience to illustrate the increasing diplomatic and logistical barriers between Russia and Europe. “Today, it is very difficult to fly from Europe to Russia,” he noted.

He also pointed to policy decisions being considered at the EU level, warning that they risk creating further divisions. “The European Commission today is presenting a roadmap to completely halt the delivery of any energy resources from Russia to Europe,” Fico said. “That is an iron curtain with tremendous economic consequences for the entire European Union.”

The Slovak leader emphasised that the EU’s insistence on ending Russian energy imports is driven by politics, not economics, and is contributing to soaring energy costs across the continent. “By pressuring for an end to energy supplies from the East, the European Union institutions—exclusively for political reasons—are creating conditions for further increases in gas prices, which also affect electricity prices,” he said.

Fico criticised the EU for failing to offer viable alternatives to Russian energy sources and reiterated Slovakia’s interest in continuing to serve as a gas transit hub. Slovak authorities have repeatedly stated that they want to maintain the ability to transport Russian gas from Ukraine to Western Europe.

The Prime Minister stressed that the disruption of gas transit would come at a steep cost. “If gas transit through Ukraine is not restored, then the losses for Slovakia must be compensated,” he said. According to Fico, Slovakia stands to lose approximately €500 million annually from the end of its transit role, and an additional €1 billion due to higher gas prices.

He also warned that the broader economic cost for the EU could be staggering. “The entire European Union will pay around €70 billion for this adventure of halting gas transit through Ukraine,” he said.

Ukraine ceased the transit of Russian natural gas through its territory as of January 1, 2025. Since then, the only remaining route for pipeline gas exports from Russia to Europe has been the TurkStream pipeline.

By Tamilla Hasanova