Slovak PM accuses EU of lacking global awareness

(MENAFN) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the European Union of being disconnected from global realities and struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing world. He expressed these views during a Tuesday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, held alongside commemorations marking 80 years since the end of World War II.

Fico emphasized that while Slovakia values its participation in NATO and the EU, the country is also eager to restore normal relations with Russia. “Despite my high regard for the EU, I am disappointed it cannot respond to global developments, and I don’t understand some of its decisions,” he stated.

Since resuming office in 2023, Fico has adopted positions on Ukraine that sharply diverge from those of Brussels. He has stopped sending arms to Kiev, opposed sanctions on Moscow, and cautioned against Ukrainian NATO membership. Advocating for peace talks, he has faced significant backlash, including a near-fatal assassination attempt by a pro-Ukraine activist.

Putin told Fico that he did not wish to place him in a difficult spot by criticizing NATO and the EU but mocked what he described as the “growing hysteria” among Western officials over a supposed imminent Russian attack. He called these officials “experts in horror films” and added that any “sensible person” would recognize such warnings as either deliberate provocation or “complete incompetence.”

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