The victory of Putinist Fico in Slovakia has worse consequences than it seems.
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CNN writes about this.
The publication notes on October 2 that the real problem is not even that Ukraine may lose the support of an important partner.
If Fico can form a government, Slovakia could join Hungary in systematically blocking anti-Russian sanctions and aid to Ukraine at the European Union level. Until now, it was difficult for Brussels to cope with one Viktor Orban, but now there will be two of them.
CNN notes that even this is not the end. Other countries where right-wing parties are gaining popularity may also join the anti-Ukrainian coalition in the EU. Poland, France and Germany are mentioned in particular in this context.
Reaction to Fico
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said before the start of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Kiev that Ukraine respects the choice of the Slovak people, but it is too early to say how the elections in Slovakia will affect further support for Ukraine.
Let us remind you that on September 30, the former Prime Minister of Slovakia and leader of the pro-Russian party Smer Fico won early parliamentary elections. He recently said that the Slovaks “have bigger problems than helping Ukraine.” Fico also added that he would do everything possible to start peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
The war in Ukraine was started by “fascist Ukrainians,” and not by Russians,” said the winner of the parliamentary elections in Slovakia, Fico.
In this country, the pro-Russian center-left party Smer, led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico, won the elections to the National Council. She received 23.42% of the votes. Fico in his election campaign promised to stop military assistance and criticized the sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation.
The pro-European party Progressive Slovakia scored 17%, and Holos – 15%.
Background
Fico’s Smer party will probably have a hard time forming a coalition with a sufficient majority. Before the elections, Fico said that if he returned to power, he wanted to stop the unpopular assistance with weapons among the population and help Ukraine only with civilian goods.
However, almost all other parties that entered parliament want to stay the same course. Slovakia, an EU and NATO member, directly borders Ukraine and is one of the strongest political and military supporters of the neighboring country under attack from Russia.
Robert Fico was head of government from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018 and led Slovakia into the Schengen area in 2007 and into the Eurozone in 2009. After the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova in 2018, the investigation discovered large corruption networks in which officials were also involved. Fico was forced to resign under pressure from mass protests.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.