Speaking at the "7th Dialogue" program hosted by Slovakia TV, Prime Minister Fico said: "Slovakia will not deploy any soldiers to Ukraine", but did not specify the reason.
Observers say there are many reasons for Slovakia's backlash on this plan, but the main reason is because Bratislava has not supported the supply of weapons to Kiev since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022.
This shows that Slovakia wants to avoid being involved in military moves, including sending soldiers to Ukraine. The aim was to avoid being seen by Russia as one of the European countries participating in the proxy war against Moscow.
On the other hand, Slovakia has always wanted to maintain good relations with Russia. This comes from the fact that Moscow's oil and gas still play an important and core role in Bratislava's energy security.
Returning to his statement on September 6, Mr. Fico noted that Slovakia is still ready to provide logistical support within the framework of security guarantees, such as allowing the use of its transport infrastructure for transportation.
In contrast to his somewhat dovish stance when talking about the plan to send troops to Ukraine, Prime Minister Fico spoke out indignantly about Kiev's recent attacks on oil and gas pipelines from Russia to European countries.
Mr. Fico said that Ukraine "does not take the interests of other countries into account", and expressed disagreement with Kiev's move. I do not accept this, the Slovakian leader said.
The prime minister stressed that every country has the right to protect its own interests and promote national interests - referring to Ukraines case in the conflict with Russia.
However, he also noted that that is not the reason why Kiev can desert all tricks to gain an advantage on the battlefield, including sacrificing the interests of other countries, even its allies.
