Slovakia's New Populist PM Follows Through On Blocking Arms To Ukraine
Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute,
The new government of Slovakia has followed through with its campaign pledge to terminate arms transfers and is calling on the rest of Europe to adopt Bratislava’s policy.
Slovakia’s new leader, Robert Fico, has called for the European Union to take on a peacekeeper role in the Ukraine war, and Bratislava will not support further sanctions on Moscow.
Fico told members of Slovakia’s legislature on Thursday that Bratislava was abandoning the West’s proxy war against Russia. "I will support zero military aid to Ukraine… An immediate halt to military operations is the best solution we have for Ukraine. The EU should change from an arms supplier to a peacemaker,” he said. Adding, Slovakia will “no longer supply weapons to Ukraine.”
As well as terminating support for Kiev’s war effort, Fico explained Slovakia will no longer support Washington’s economic war on Moscow. “I will not vote for any sanctions against Russia unless we see analyses of their impact on Slovakia.”
He continued, "If there are to be such sanctions that will harm us, like most sanctions have, I can see no reason to support them."
Additionally, Fico said, "the people in Slovakia have bigger problems than (dealing with) Ukraine" and "further killing [in Ukraine] will not help anyone."
Fico’s left-wing Smer-SD won Slovakia’s election early this month on a platform that highlighted ending arms transfers to Ukraine.
Hungary, now backed by Slovakia, will bloc EU military aid until Brussels can justify funding the war.
— Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) October 26, 2023
- Member states can still send weapons, but the EU scheme of refunding military aid is challenged.https://t.co/gj9950ykuW
While President Joe Biden insists that Washington will support Ukraine for "as long as it takes," several Eastern European countries have started to terminate support for Kiev. Poland announced it would end weapons transfers after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Warsaw during his UN address.
