Slovak PM warns of search for pretext for NATO-Russia conflict

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has voiced concern that a pretext is being sought for a major conflict between NATO and Russia, warning that the risk of a wider European confrontation has become particularly acute.

“I am very concerned that they are already looking only for a pretext for a major conflict between NATO and Russia,” Fico wrote on his Facebook page.

Fico accompanied the post with a video of a speech in which he said the situation had never been so tense in terms of the possibility of a pan-European conflict.

“I have a feeling that our duty as politicians is to talk about peace much more often than ever before. I do not want Slovakia to be part of any military conflict,” he said.

Earlier this month, Fico said Western countries had failed in their attempts to pressure Russia by supporting Ukraine.

“This strategy has completely failed,” the Slovak prime minister stressed, arguing that the West was reluctant to acknowledge that failure and continued to “add fuel to the fire.”

Fico also reiterated his view that the conflict in Ukraine could have ended as early as spring 2022 if “major players” in Western countries had not prevented Kyiv from reaching an agreement with Moscow at the time.

By Tamilla Hasanova