Fico: Ukraine will ‘have to pay dearly’ at Trump-Putin talks
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on 10 August said Ukraine would bear the cost "regardless of the outcome" of the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kyiv Independent reported.
Fico's comment came as European allies voice concern that the scheduled 15 August Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, north US, could sideline Ukraine from negotiations and pressure Ukraine into territorial concessions. Fico visited Moscow in December 2024 and has been fostering closer ties with Russia.
Ukraine in NATO 'impossible' - Fico
"Everyone already knows that the conflict has serious roots in recent history, that it has no military solution, everyone already knows that Ukraine's membership in NATO is impossible," Fico claimed on social media
Fico used an African proverb to express his views, saying “No matter how the elephants’ negotiations on 15 August turn out, the grass will suffer – in this case, Ukraine”.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry condemned the comments the same day as “openly offensive rhetoric” and criticised the use of “unfriendly folkloric allegories”.
Fico responded on Facebook on Sunday evening that: "no one will take away my right to freedom of speech and anything other than a compulsory opinion. Although the opposition activist wanted to shoot me because of my opinion of the war in Ukraine, referring to the assassination attempt made on him last May.
“I understand the tension and nervousness that must prevail in the political leadership of Ukraine these days. However, I cannot accept the Ukrainian diplomacy resort's claim that I resort to 'openly offensive rhetoric against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people'," he added.
Regional reactions
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on 8 August that the Russian invasion might be “frozen soon”, after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukraine's participation following the Putin-Trump meeting is not ruled out, but it is so far not named as among the participants of the Alaska summit, US news channel CNN reported.
UK business daily The Financial Times has reported wider unease in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) about potential “Yalta-style” arrangements that could undermine Ukrainian sovereignty.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg called for “transparency and inclusivity” in any negotiations, warning that excluding Ukraine would “set a dangerous precedent for international conflict resolution”, State media ORF reported.
The leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on 10 August were among the 8 co-signatories of a statement to pressure Russia to halt its "unlawful" war with Ukraine.
The Baltic leaders joined their opposite numbers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in reaffirming “the principle that international borders must not be changed by force".
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in February that he had the right to comment on Slovak foreign policy when it affected Czech interests, and implied that Fico’s outreach to Moscow was not in those interests.
Slovakia suspended military aid to Ukraine
Fico, leader of the Smer-SD (Direction-Social Democracy) party, returned to power in October 2023 on a platform critical of Western policy towards Russia. Since then, he has suspended Slovak military aid to Ukraine and opposed EU sanctions, triggering protests and straining relations with NATO partners.
The Trump-Putin summit could intensify divisions within the EU and NATO if discussions lead to proposals for territorial concessions or a reduction in Western support for Ukraine. Regional leaders are under pressure to demonstrate unity and maintain a consistent policy towards Ukrainian sovereignty.
“Our position is that Ukraine must remain part of any peace process and its territorial integrity must be respected,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on 10 August.
Fico added that “Slovakia is one of the countries with the most intensive help for Ukraine. However, neighbouring relationships cannot just be a one-way ticket. Slovakia provides critical electricity supplies to Ukraine, and Ukraine uses European legislation, which mandates us to provide Slovak infrastructure for gas supplies to Ukraine.
"On the other hand, the Ukrainian president stopped gas deliveries to Slovakia through Ukrainian territories, significantly hurt Slovakia. The war in Ukraine has deformed freedom of speech in the EU. Any opinion other than a compulsory opinion is harshly criticised and condemned, even if it is based on objective information," Fico argued.
