Slovakia to veto Ukraine's NATO accession due to 'third world war' threat - PM
Photo: Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico (Getty Images)
Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, in an interview with InfoVojna, has spoken out against the potential NATO membership of Ukraine and has pledged to obstruct it, suggesting that Ukraine's entry into the North Atlantic Alliance would lead to the start of a third world war.
The Slovak Prime Minister expressed his intention to use the veto power against such a decision as long as "I have the ability to influence the Slovak political scene."
"It's not surprising that the party that constitutes the majority in the Slovak government would disagree with Ukraine's NATO membership, as it would be the beginning of the third world war," he stated, adding that he believes "this will never happen."
During a conversation with the host, Fico mentioned that he conveyed his position on Ukraine's accession to the NATO bloc during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
The Slovak Prime Minister also shared his opinion that Ukraine's accession to the European Union would take years, and he himself is not opposed to the Eurointegration of the country.
"If making such an exaggerated political gesture is needed to support Ukraine, I have no problem with that... but it must meet all the conditions," Fico said.
Video: Slovak Prime Minister Fico addresses Ukraine's NATO and EU accession
The position of Slovakia on Ukraine
After the fall elections in Slovakia, government officials have repeatedly stated that they will cease supplying weapons to Ukraine but will continue to provide other forms of assistance.
The leader of the anti-Ukrainian party Smer-SD, Robert Fico, who became the new Prime Minister of Slovakia, has consistently echoed Kremlin narratives and distinguished himself with pro-Russian rhetoric. He also believes that the war is a "frozen conflict" that supposedly cannot be resolved by supplying weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
It should be noted, however, that Fico has no intention of obstructing the export of private defense companies.
As previously stated by Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine has no problems with the new government of Slovakia under Fico's leadership.
NATO membership for Ukraine
Recall that on September 30 of last year, it became known that Ukraine had submitted an application for accelerated NATO membership. Kyiv expected to receive an invitation for the country to join the Alliance during the summer summit in Vilnius, but this did not happen.
As NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated, Ukraine cannot join the Alliance until active combat operations cease.
It's worth noting that following the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting in Brussels on November 29, Ukraine received recommendations from NATO regarding membership. These recommendations pertain to initial reforms for entry into the Alliance.
