Fico claims he is not Ukraine's servant

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made a resonant statement, emphasising that he is "not Ukraine's servant" ("не слуга Украины"), and threatened to veto European Union aid to Kyiv.

In his address, Fico sharply criticised the visit by Slovak MPs to Kyiv on 17 January, accusing them of excessive loyalty to Ukraine. He claimed that they allegedly "kissed Zelensky's ring" ("целовали перстень Зеленскому") and promised support for Ukraine's NATO membership if their party came to power.

Furthermore, the Slovak head of government expressed his intention to respond to a possible cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukrainian territory. As one of the levers of pressure, he mentioned the possibility of blocking further financial aid to Ukraine from the EU. Fico also emphasised: "Robert Fico is the Prime Minister of Slovakia, not Ukraine's servant" ("Роберт Фицо — премьер-министр Словакии, а не слуга Украины").