Slovak PM accuses West of seeking pretext for NATO-Russia war

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused some Western politicians of seeking a pretext for a direct military conflict between NATO and Russia, a claim he made in a video message and social media posts this week. Fico stated that the failure of the West's strategy to defeat Russia through the war in Ukraine has led certain figures to believe a broader conflict is necessary. He warned that Europe is dangerously close to a direct clash and pledged to do everything in his power to keep Slovakia out of any war triggered by NATO's Article 5 collective defence clause. In his remarks, delivered before traveling to Ukraine for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, Fico said the situation is the most serious and tense regarding the possibility of a pan-European war conflict. He questioned the logic of preparing thousands of Slovak soldiers to fight in a conflict without knowing the enemy or the reason. "I do not want Slovakia to be part of any military conflict because of some Article 5," Fico stressed, while affirming that Slovakia values its NATO membership and cooperation. Fico's comments come amid heightened security concerns in Europe.