Fico’s NATO remarks anger Czech president

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico angered neighbouring Czechia after accusing Western politicians of doing everything possible to provoke a war between NATO and Russia, LRT reported.

Fico questioned NATO solidarity last week, drawing a sharp response from Czech President Petr Pavel. European leaders are increasingly concerned about shadow operations across the continent that they attribute to Russia, which has continued its invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.

In a video posted on Facebook on Saturday, Fico suggested that the West was seeking a conflict between NATO and Russia. He said the failure of a strategy to destroy Russia through the war in Ukraine was leading many Western politicians to believe that, if this could not be achieved through the Ukrainian army and comprehensive support for Ukraine, everything should be done to trigger a NATO-Russia conflict.

Last Thursday, Fico also said he did not want Slovakia to be drawn into an armed conflict because of Article 5 of the NATO treaty. The provision requires NATO members to provide military assistance when another ally is attacked.

Pavel, a former NATO general who led the Alliance’s Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, responded angrily. He said on Sunday that the remarks were highly significant, should be taken seriously and should not be followed as an example.

“If someone says that, they do not understand the word solidarity,” Pavel said, adding that he firmly believed Czechia would not take that path.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who was born in Slovakia, has not joined the dispute. The Czech billionaire is an ally of Fico. Both governments have nationalist positions and have refused to provide direct military assistance to Ukraine, saying that doing so promotes peace.