Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has placed his nation on a collision course with the West, embracing Moscow, denouncing Brussels, and attacking Kyiv’s wartime leadership, in an extraordinary interview with Izvestia, a Kremlin-aligned outlet notorious for promoting Russian state narratives. Defying widespread European boycotts, Fico pledged to honour Soviet soldiers at Moscow’s Victory Day, condemned EU militarisation as a betrayal of its founding peace mission, and called NATO’s eastern expansion a catastrophic threat to global security. He openly endorsed gas deals with Vladimir Putin, blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for wrecking European energy stability, and vowed to sabotage future EU sanctions if they jeopardise Slovak interests. Advocating what he calls “sovereign internationalism,” Fico rejected Western governance models, defended Chinese authoritarianism as a stabilising force, and aligned himself with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in resisting EU efforts to punish dissenting states. Warning that the European Union risks self-destruction if it silences small nations, Fico’s latest interventions reveal a radical project: to shift Slovakia’s foreign policy away from Western orthodoxy and restore friendly ties with Russia, even at the cost of European solidarity and strategic unity.
In a recent interview with Izvestia, a state-controlled Russian outlet that has historically served Kremlin interests and continues to disseminate government-aligned narratives, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico outlined an unapologetically pro-Russian vision for Europe’s future. Speaking to Peter Marcek, a former Slovak MP, Fico criticised Brussels, Washington, and Kyiv alike, defending his outreach to Moscow and calling for a radical shift in Europe’s handling of the Ukrainian conflict.
Fico declared his intention to attend the 80th anniversary Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, despite widespread European boycotts. He justified this move as an act of historical reverence for the sacrifices of Soviet soldiers in World War II, insisting that contemporary political tensions must not erase the Red Army’s contributions. For foreign audiences unfamiliar with Slovakia’s prime minister, it is noteworthy that Fico has long cultivated a political identity rooted in historic memory and Slavic solidarity, even when it places him at odds with Western consensus.
Brussels Turns Its Back While Slovakia Salutes Russia
Beyond ceremonial gestures, Fico’s ambitions are tangible. He praised his December 2024 private meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, focusing on securing gas supplies for Slovakia and exploring a Christmas truce in Ukraine—a truce, he claimed, that Kyiv rejected outright. He accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of recklessly disrupting gas transit to Europe, costing Slovakia vital revenues and damaging continental price stability. According to Fico, new gas flows via Turkey have safeguarded Slovak domestic needs, but at a major financial loss.
The prime minister took aim at Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO, warning that Ukrainian accession would trigger “global danger beyond imagination.” In his view, the security of Europe is imperilled not by Russian aggression, but by NATO expansion and EU militarisation. Fico vehemently opposed the European Union’s €800 billion rearmament programme, portraying it as an obscene misallocation of resources that sacrifices social welfare for war preparations.
Fico expressed open support for potential direct negotiations between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, declaring, “I’m holding my fists for President Trump and President Putin.” He accused Europe of losing its credibility as a peace broker by cheerleading militarisation instead of fostering diplomacy, and blamed Brussels for aligning slavishly with the Biden administration’s hawkish stance.
On the question of sanctions against Russia, Fico remained uncompromising. He argued that sanctions have failed, merely hardening Russia’s resilience and self-sufficiency, while inflicting collateral damage on European economies, including Slovakia’s own industry. In a brazen admission, he announced willingness to veto future EU sanctions packages if they jeopardised Slovak interests or derailed peace efforts, citing recent cooperation with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to ease individual sanctions against Russian figures.
Sanctions Will Fall, or Slovakia Will Block the Road
A key element of Fico’s foreign policy philosophy is “sovereign internationalism.” He explained that Slovakia must engage globally on its own terms, maintaining ties with diverse partners such as Vietnam, South Korea, Brazil, and Russia, alongside traditional Western allies. For the prime minister, sovereignty means rejecting attempts to enforce Western political models on other nations—citing China’s authoritarian stability as a preferable alternative to Western-style multiparty chaos.
At the European Union level, Fico warned against eroding the unanimity principle in foreign policy voting. He fiercely defended smaller member states’ rights to veto decisions, framing the growing push towards qualified majority voting as a Franco-German power grab that would marginalise Slovakia and likeminded nations. Slovakia, he vowed, would stand firm in defending Hungary against EU punitive measures, asserting the principle that every member state has a right to independent policy choices without facing collective punishment.
The Slovak prime minister lambasted EU rearmament plans again, portraying them as a threat not only to public services but to European peace itself. He accused the previous Slovak government of irresponsibly transferring national military assets to Ukraine, leaving the country vulnerable, including critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants.
Turning to domestic matters, Fico acknowledged coalition tensions within his government but insisted that stability prevailed, Parliament functioned, and his SMER party was firmly preparing for the 2027 elections. He dismissed external interference and media opposition as part of the “wild political system” inherent in Slovakia’s multi-party democracy.
Despite his deep critiques, Fico affirmed Slovakia’s commitment to the European Union, describing membership as “useful and beneficial.” However, he warned that if the EU abandoned mutual solidarity and started silencing dissent, it would quickly collapse. He urged vigilance to preserve the original spirit of the Union—a peace project—against its current mutation into a military bloc.
Finally, the prime minister turned his fire on the EU’s handling of Hungary. He called efforts to punish Budapest for sovereign political decisions a betrayal of European solidarity and warned that the same fate could soon befall Slovakia. Recalling historical memory, he condemned EU ambassadors’ refusal to attend WWII commemorations in Bratislava because of the presence of Russian diplomats, branding such acts as “shameful distortions” of Europe’s past.
Throughout the interview, published by a Russian outlet known for advancing Kremlin-aligned narratives, Robert Fico displayed a consistent, confrontational posture: rejecting Western orthodoxy, demanding sovereign decision-making, and calling for reconciliation with Russia over confrontation—a stance that places Slovakia on a collision course with its Western allies at a critical juncture for European security.
