The leader of the Slovak Social Democracy (SMER-SD) party, Robert Fico, announced on Sunday that his party will not support further military aid for Ukraine. Fico’s party emerged victorious in the parliamentary elections held over the weekend and is now preparing to enter talks about forming a government.
Fico stated at a press conference after the election results were announced, “Slovakia and the people of Slovakia have bigger problems than Ukraine.” The SMER-SD party garnered approximately 23% of the vote, with its closest competitor, Progressive Slovakia (PS), receiving around 18%.
When questioned about his party’s stance on assisting Kiev, Fico asserted that if his party successfully forms a government, they would be willing to provide humanitarian aid but not military support. He emphasized, “We are prepared to help with the reconstruction of the state, but you know our opinion on arming Ukraine.”
The SMER-SD party ran their election campaign under the slogan “Not a single round,” indicating their intention to cease military assistance to Ukraine. As a member state of both the European Union and NATO, Slovakia has already supplied Ukrainian forces with armored personnel carriers, howitzers, and its entire fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets.
During one of his campaign rallies, Fico pledged that his party would not “send a single round [of ammunition] to Ukraine” if they secured the election victory. He reiterated this sentiment on Sunday, describing the ongoing conflict as a great tragedy and emphasizing the need to initiate peace negotiations as quickly as possible, stating, “Further killing does not benefit anyone.”
On Sunday, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova announced her intention to formally invite Fico to form a new government on Monday. As no party is projected to win a majority, Slovakia will need to establish a coalition government. The pro-European HLAS (Voice) party, which secured third place with 14.7% of the vote, did not rule out the possibility of forming an alliance with SMER-SD. Fico also received congratulations on his election victory from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who expressed his desire to cooperate with a patriot like Fico.
Notably, Fico’s victory and his party’s stance have raised concerns in the United States. According to Russian foreign intelligence reports, Washington had attempted to maintain the previous Slovakian government’s grip on power.
In conclusion, the Slovak Social Democracy (SMER-SD) party, led by Robert Fico, has emerged as the winner of the parliamentary elections in Slovakia. Fico’s party has expressed its reluctance to provide further military aid to Ukraine but is willing to engage in humanitarian assistance and facilitate the reconstruction of the state. The focus now shifts to forming a government through coalition negotiations, with the possibility of an alliance between SMER-SD and the pro-European HLAS party. This victory has attracted attention from the United States and Russian foreign intelligence due to concerns about potential shifts in foreign policy.
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