Slovakia's Prime Minister claims West trying to spark NATO-Russia conflict
Photo: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Getty Images)
The war in Ukraine could go beyond the current confrontation and escalate into a conflict between Russia and NATO. In Europe, people are talking about this dangerous scenario, according to Reuters.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico states that some Western politicians are allegedly seeking a direct conflict between NATO and Russia. In his view, this could be driven by the failure of the strategy to defeat Moscow in the war against Ukraine.
In a video address, Fico states that Europe is closer to a large-scale war than ever before. He links his concerns to the possibility that the war in Ukraine could escalate into a confrontation between Russia and NATO.
"We face a mortal danger," says the Slovak Prime Minister.
According to him, the Western strategy aimed at defeating Russia through support for Ukraine has not yielded the expected results.
"The failure of the strategy to destroy Russia through the war in Ukraine has led some Western politicians to believe that if the goal cannot be achieved through the Ukrainian army and full support for it, then every effort must be made to trigger a conflict between NATO and Russia," the Slovak leader notes.
He reiterates that the war in Ukraine is not Slovakia's or NATO's war.
"Certain war hawks within NATO are trying, at any cost, to turn this war into a conflict between Russia and NATO," Fico adds.
He also criticizes Western support for Ukraine. According to the Slovak Prime Minister, it only adds fuel to the fire, even though it has not yielded the expected results.
What Europe says
Fico's statement came amid warnings from other European leaders about Russian hybrid activities.
Earlier, Poland reported an increase in Russian intelligence activities targeting European infrastructure that supports Ukraine. Among the potential targets mentioned were railways, bridges, and border crossings.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk also warned that the coming weeks and months could see a period of active Russian operations and did not rule out the possibility of the escalation spreading to Polish territory.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that Vilnius and its allies shared the same intelligence regarding possible hybrid attacks by Russia. According to him, this includes, in particular, a possible false flag operation.
At the same time, Lithuania has prepared an evacuation plan for Vilnius residents in the event of a military threat or a large-scale crisis. One of the possible evacuation routes is Poland, which is also being considered as a transit corridor for residents of the Baltic states.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, for his part, warned of the vulnerability of Europe's air defense systems. He said that if Russia were to launch several missiles at NATO territory, it could pose a serious challenge for many countries.
