What is behind Fico’s anti-Ukrainian statements about imminent peace with Russia

"Ukraine and the United States will negotiate peace with Russia. I fear that Ukraine will end up a victim, just as we did with the Munich Agreement. That's what I think," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico declared at a meeting of the Slovak Parliament's European Affairs Committee

Many Slovak politicians and public figures have already expressed shame over these remarks from their prime minister.

Read more to understand why Ukraine's response to Fico’s latest anti-Ukrainian statements has been minimal and what these comments might mean in the column by Yurii Panchenko, a European Pravda editor – Fico sees ‘betrayal’: Why the Slovak Prime Minister is pushing the narrative of inevitable concessions from Ukraine.

In Kyiv, officials are trying hard to ignore anti-Ukrainian remarks from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and this stance has its reasons, explains the author.

As Panchenko notes, Ukrainian authorities see Fico as being constructive in negotiations. However, ahead of Slovak-Ukrainian intergovernmental consultations, he often makes highly critical statements about Ukraine or distorts the outcomes of talks to make unfriendly comments afterward.

One Ukrainian official involved in the negotiations told the European Pravda editor that Fico himself addressed the topic of his statements during one of the consultations, explaining that they were meant solely for internal use and didn’t reflect the true prospects for cooperation with Ukraine.

Panchenko highlights that after a year of dealing with Fico in office, Kyiv has found ways to work successfully with him, separating political grandstanding from real interests.

However, Fico’s latest statement about imminent peace goes beyond this established pattern.

Speaking in the Slovak parliament, Fico was defending a visit to Moscow by one of his party members, MEP Ľuboš Blaha.

Blaha is one of Fico's closest political allies and plays a particular role in the Smer party, often voicing opinions that Fico himself cannot openly express.

Thus, Blaha’s visit to Moscow and his provocative statements are no random acts. Especially since Fico has also expressed his intention to visit Moscow next year to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

"Such statements provoke resistance from the Slovak opposition, and Fico needs to justify himself. For that, he uses narratives currently circulating in Western media: the possibility of freezing hostilities in exchange for the 'partial admission' of Ukraine to NATO," writes the editorial’s author.

Panchenko points out the contradictions in the Slovak prime minister’s statements, which Fico seems to overlook. On the one hand, he echoes the idea of a compromise involving Ukraine’s "partial admission" to NATO. On the other hand, he insists he won’t allow Ukraine to join NATO at all.

"If you think about it, this technically means that Fico himself would be blocking ‘peace in Europe.’

However, such nuances don’t seem to bother the Slovak prime minister – he seeks to restore economic ties with Russia (and reap the benefits from the Kremlin for weakening the EU’s stance) and looks for any justification for his actions," Panchenko notes.

This poses a challenge for Ukraine, he adds.

Can Ukraine continue to maintain its current stance of "hearing no evil" when the Slovak government is preparing to reestablish full relations with Russia?

Or perhaps it’s time for Kyiv to clearly show that there are red lines, which it will not overlook under any circumstances.

And if the latter is the case, Ukraine should not delay sending a clear signal to Fico.