Slovakia’s Fico Pours Cold Water on Fulfilling NATO’s Article 5 Mutual Defense

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would seek to keep his country out of any military conflict arising under NATO’s collective-defense clause, publicly questioning whether Slovakia should send thousands of troops to defend an ally.Speaking to students and hospital employees in the eastern city of Prešov, Fico criticized what he described as increasingly belligerent rhetoric among European leaders and asked whom Europe intended to fight.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“For God’s sake, who do we want to fight? With whom?” Fico said during the event, as his Facebook page reposted.Fico did not identify Russia as a potential aggressor or source of military danger to Europe. Instead, he accused European leaders of using talk of war to divert attention from illegal migration, weak competitiveness and high energy prices.“Can you imagine, ladies and gentlemen, that Article 5 of the NATO treaty would be invoked?” Fico said.“Can anyone imagine that we would be told: Prepare 5,000 soldiers, 10,000 soldiers, and they will go somewhere to fight? And we would not even know with whom, why or for what?”He said he would “do everything” to make sure Slovakia will not join a war.“I do not want Slovakia to be part of some military conflict because of some Article 5. As prime minister, I will do everything to ensure that Slovakia is never drawn into a military conflict.”Article 5 of NATO – of which Slovakia has been a member since 2004 – states that an armed attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all members. Other Topics of Interest Military Airfield Repeatedly Targeted in Rostov as 50+ Drone Swarm Hits Region Again The attack caused damage to homes, vehicles and infrastructure, according to local authorities. Ukraine has not officially confirmed responsibility for the overnight strikes. However, invoking it does not automatically require every ally to send a predetermined number of troops. Each member must assist the attacked country by taking “such action as it deems necessary,” which may include using armed force, according to NATO’s official explanation.Fico’s description of Slovakia being ordered to deploy 5,000 or 10,000 soldiers therefore does not reflect the discretion the treaty provides to individual allies.Fico, one of the few European leaders to have attended Moscow’s May 9 parades after 2022, has repeatedly criticized military assistance for Ukraine and called for negotiations with Moscow. His government ended state military aid to Kyiv after returning to power, though commercial arms sales by Slovak companies have continued.Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. European governments have since increased defense spending and warned that Moscow could pose a broader threat to the continent if it is not stopped in Ukraine, with the bloc recently proposing a “European Security Council” to respond to potential security crises.European leaders have also warned of Russian escalations across the continent amid what they called a rise in hybrid attacks, including armed drones found near commercial airports and military bases, as well as arson plots backed by Moscow documented in Poland and the UK. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.