Slovakian Prime Minister says he does not agree to let Ukraine join NATO

In an interview with Slovakia's InfoVojna newspaper, Mr. Fico emphasized: "We will not agree to Ukraine becoming a member of NATO because that would be the beginning of World War III. If I had the opportunity to influence Slovak politics, I would use my power to veto such a decision."

Prime Minister Fico affirmed that Slovakia is not opposed to Ukraine becoming a member of the EU in principle, but noted that this is a process that will take many years, as Kiev needs to meet quite strict standards set by Brussels. According to Mr. Fico, Slovakia also has no intention of confiscating real estate owned by the Russian government, unlike its neighbor the Czech Republic.

The Ukrainian government has made NATO membership a policy since 2018. Russia has repeatedly warned that such a move would endanger its national security and has considered Ukraine's neutrality one of the goals of its military campaign that began last February.

Mr Fico, a social democrat, previously held power in Bratislava from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. He became prime minister again in October, leading a three-party coalition government. He quickly reversed his predecessor’s policy on Ukraine, halting free arms transfers to Kiev and calling for a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Mr. Fico has also been criticized for undermining EU policies in supporting Ukraine, sanctioning Russia and applying “fanatical” environmental protection standards./.