Robert Fico claims that “Ukraine’s membership in NATO is a guarantee of World War III.” He made this statement just hours after the Slovak delegation, including Foreign Minister Blanár, Defence Minister Kaliňák, and President Pellegrini, endorsed the NATO Summit’s conclusions in Washington, stating Ukraine’s path to NATO is “irreversible.”
The Prime Minister mentioned he had instructed Ministers Blanár and Kaliňák to insist at the summit that Ukraine’s NATO membership is only possible if all NATO member states’ parliaments agree and all membership conditions are met.
Fico’s condition for Ukraine’s NATO membership is embedded in Article 10 of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty.
“Smer and its MPs will not support Ukraine’s NATO membership in the National Council of the Slovak Republic. I understand Ukraine’s aspirations; it is a sovereign country. However, Ukraine’s NATO membership is merely a guarantee of World War III,” declared the Prime Minister.
NATO Summit in Washington
The NATO summit in Washington gathered leaders from 32 countries to discuss and solidify their collective defence strategies. On Wednesday evening, they released the summit’s conclusions, confirming previously discussed commitments. The countries pledged increased support to Ukraine, totalling $40 billion next year, and established a mechanism for coordinating NATO training and military aid to the embattled state. The summit’s declaration also used strong language towards China due to its cooperation with Russia.
Slovakia was represented by a delegation led by President Peter Pellegrini. In a press conference on Wednesday, he confirmed Slovakia, like all other countries, supported all the summit’s conclusions, adding that the summit’s proceedings were uncomplicated due to the unanimous agreement on the final conclusions.
