Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said his government is engaged in “very intense” negotiations over natural-gas supplies for next year, including on the transit of the fuel through Ukrainian territory. “We are holding very intense talks at an international level on gas supplies in 2025,” Fico told a press conference on Friday. “There are many … Read more
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized the European Union’s new foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and Council President António Costa for expressing support for Ukraine on behalf of the bloc on Monday. He said had he conveyed those sentiments in a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier in the day. … Read more
“Even if we are conservative, which is not to the liking of the establishment in Brussels, even if we believe in many of the values President Trump believes in,” Simion said, “we also believe that we need a strong, united Europe.” The politician insisted he would “work together” with the EU’s mainstream parties if elected, … Read more
Former Slovak leader Igor Matovič didn’t mince words in deploring an appearance by the country’s current Prime Minister Robert Fico on Russia’s state-owned Rossiya 1 TV channel on Wednesday. “What a horrible treacherous ferret,” said Matovič, who served as the country’s prime minister between 2020 and 2021, in a post on Facebook. The pro-Russian Slovak … Read more
Fico’s comments contrast sharply with the stance of Mark Rutte, NATO’s new secretary-general, who said Thursday that “Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before, and will continue on this path until you become a member of our alliance.” Under NATO’s 1949 founding treaty, decisions on enlargement are made “by unanimous agreement,” meaning that Fico’s … Read more
Change of direction After surviving the illiberal reign of Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar in the 1990s, Slovakia elected a pro-Western government in 1998, putting itself back on track for NATO and EU membership, which it secured in 2002 and 2004 respectively. But after eight years of relentless reforms and creeping corruption, the electorate turned in … Read more
“You will never find in me a desire to mock and denigrate anyone,” Jolly said. Taraba, who was to have represented his country at the closing event on August 11, posted on Facebook that the organizers of the event had “prepared for the world a disgusting exhibition full of LGBTI ideology and insults to the … Read more
Ján Čurilla and Pavol Ďurko, the detectives charged, have faced attacks from politicians from the ruling coalition Smer and Hlas parties. Both were suspended two days after Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok took office last year following Fico’s victory in the Sept. 30 parliamentary election. In what is now Fico’s fourth term in power, his … Read more
The Slovak government office told Reuters in a statement on Friday that Prime Minister Robert Fico had discussed the issue with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Fico had proposed “a technical solution in which several states including Slovakia would have to participate.” Slovak and Hungarian officials have criticized Ukraine for halting Lukoil’s supplies, saying … Read more
Szijjártó claimed that Kyiv’s move “clearly violates” the EU’s 2014 association agreement with Ukraine. Hungary and Slovakia — also affected by the ban — have now begun talks with the European Commission, he added, a precursor to legal action. Ukraine argues it is simply trying to throttle a key source of revenue for Russia’s war … Read more
