Fico's harsh statements towards Ukraine populism aimed at staying in power – expert

This opinion was expressed by diplomat, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador, adviser to the Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies AndriiVeselovskyi in a comment to Ukrinform.

"There are many reasons for Fico's behavior. But the main reason is that Slovakia is led by a Prime Minister whose ruling coalition is currently struggling to maintain its parliamentary majority. Therefore, the Slovak Prime Minister must constantly care about his image and influence public opinion to stay in power," said Veselovskyi.

The diplomat reminded that Fico is not a new figure in Slovakia’s politics – he previously served as Prime Minister but was forced to resign in 2018 following mass protests in the country over the murder of an investigative journalist.

"Thus, he carries a complicated political and social background," the expert noted.

He pointed out that Slovakia’s Prime Minister justifies his criticism of Ukraine by claiming that Slovakia is being deprived of cheap gas, even though this happened as part of a common EU decision made after the start of Russian aggression, including Slovakia's vote. Additionally, Ukraine informed long before January 1, 2025, that it would not renew the gas transit contract with Russia.

"Thus, there are counterarguments to the Slovak Prime Minister's statements, but the Slovak population hears what Fico says, not what is being said in Kyiv. Slovak media, which are under significant government influence, do not convey this. That's why this happens – Fico 'bravely' criticizes Ukraine at home, makes completely fabricated claims against us, and when he meets with Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, he talks to him professionally. That is, he (Fico) is not a systemic enemy of Ukraine, he is a systemic populist in Slovakia," said the adviser to the Director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies.

Regarding how the European Union should respond to Fico's statements, the diplomat noted that the EU "has already acted."

"Such accusations against Ukraine, although in different terms, were made by Fico a little over a month ago, and the European Commission calmly and unequivocally told the Slovak government that they had enough time to prepare for the cessation of Russian gas transit," Veselovskyi recalled.

He added that the accusations against Ukraine are "not the viewpoint of the Slovak people, but fabrications and an attempt to hold onto power."

As reported, on December 22, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Following the meeting, Fico accused Ukraine of refusing to continue the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia starting January 1, 2025 when the current transit contract expires.

The European Commission did not comment on the visit of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to Moscow but confirmed that Europe is prepared for the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine starting January 1, 2025.

On December 29, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico published an open letter on social media to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in which he once again complained about Ukraine's refusal to continue the transit of Russian gas after 2024.