Fico sparks outrage with fresh anti-Ukrainian remarks, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry hits back
Photo: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Getty Images)
The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, made another anti-Ukrainian statement on the eve of the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Ukraine responded to the "offensive rhetoric," according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What Fico said
Commenting on the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Fico stated that it does not matter what the parties agree on, because Ukraine will suffer the most.
"Do you remember the old African truth that I so love to repeat? It doesn’t matter whether elephants fight or have sex, the grass always suffers. Regardless of how the elephants’ negotiations end on August 15, the grass will suffer—in this case, Ukraine," Fico said.
Ukraine’s reaction
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned such rhetoric by the Slovak Prime Minister. The ministry stressed that after more than three years of full-scale war, Fico still has not realized the real reasons for the criminal invasion and the danger posed by flirting with the Russian Federation.
"It is regrettable that the head of the government of an EU member state allows himself to use openly offensive rhetoric towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who are heroically fighting Russian aggression every day, holding it back on their land in the interest of the security of all Europe," the statement said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Fico against using "unfriendly folk allegories and attempting to raise the political ratings of his party through such statements."
"This is frivolity that insults the memory of the dead, the suffering of millions of Ukrainian families, and the sacrifice of those who fight for freedom," the MFA noted.
The ministry added that Robert Fico’s statements are at odds with the spirit of good neighborliness, solidarity, and mutual respect, and that the Slovak Prime Minister also offends his own people.
Disputes between Ukraine and Slovakia
Relations between Ukraine and Slovakia have recently become tense. The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, has made several statements opposing the provision of military aid to Ukraine and its accession to the EU and NATO.
The situation escalated when Ukraine decided not to extend the transit of Russian gas to Europe, on which Slovakia and Hungary depend.
Fico threatened to halt electricity exports to Ukraine and reduce aid to Ukrainian refugees.
