US newspaper: President Putin receives 'good news' from European elections
(Baonghean.vn) - Newsweek (USA) reported that the Smer party of Slovakia's former pro-Russian Prime Minister won the parliamentary election race in Bratislava, paving the way for the country to reduce its support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
According to Newsweek, Russian President Vladimir Putin received good news from the European elections. Robert Fico, leader of Slovakia's populist Smer-SSD party, won the election with 22.94% of the vote.
The victory is seen as a worrying signal for Ukraine – a country that benefits from military aid from Slovakia – Ukraine's eastern border neighbor.
Since the conflict broke out, Slovakia and Poland have sent Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, setting a precedent for Kiev's allies to consider boosting Ukraine's air power with Western-made jets.
However, in his new position, Robert Fico has said he will cut off military aid to Ukraine, and only provide humanitarian assistance. Mr. Fico has repeatedly criticized the Slovak government for transferring the operational S-300 air defense system to Ukraine in April 2022. He also stated that the MiG-29 fighter jets transferred to Ukraine are a blatant violation of the Slovak Constitution.
In late September, speaking to the Telegraph (UK), Robert Fico said that "arming Ukraine brings nothing good, except death."
Earlier, during his election campaign, Robert Fico stressed that if the Smer party won, he would not send “a single bullet to Ukraine”. He also opposed the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West and the European Union.
Observers say Robert Fico, who is increasingly taking a more estranged stance from the West, could steer Slovakia back toward the Kremlin, refusing to supply weapons to Ukraine, and aligning more closely with neighboring Hungary.
In a post on social network X on October 1, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote: “Guess who is back! Congratulations to Robert Fico on his undisputed victory in the Slovak parliamentary elections.”
“The West’s task now is not to lose Slovakia and to work constructively with Fico,” Milan Nic, an analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations, told The Financial Times. “And now Moscow is celebrating the impending cracks in eastern Europe. Now Hungary will no longer be alone.”
For many analysts, Mr. Fico is seen as a “second Viktor Orban.” Like the Hungarian Prime Minister, Mr. Fico has a friendly stance toward Moscow.
