Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has long opposed military supplies to Ukraine and takes a position seen by some critics as pro-Russian. When talking about the possibility of sending European soldiers to Ukraine, he did not provide any details. He spoke to journalists ahead of a meeting with European leaders in Paris.
– I will limit myself to saying that these theses (in preparation for the meeting in Paris) suggest that many NATO and EU member states are considering sending their troops to Ukraine on a bilateral basis, Fico said.
– I cannot say for what purpose and what they should do there, he said, adding that Slovakia, a member of the EU and NATO, will not send soldiers to Ukraine.
NATO members have delivered billions of dollars in weapons and ammunition to Kyiv and are training Ukrainian forces. At the same time, NATO leaders, including US President Joe Biden, emphasized that the alliance wants to avoid a direct conflict with Russia, which could lead to a global war.
In Paris about security and the situation in Ukraine
– Neither NATO nor NATO allies are parties to the conflict, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on February 14.
The Czech Prime Minister was asked about the words of the head of the Slovak government.
– The Czech Republic is certainly not preparing to send any troops to Ukraine, no one needs to worry about that, commented Petr Fiala.
Prezydent @AndrzejDuda bierze udział w spotkaniu głów państw i szefów rządów, by omówić sytuację na Ukrainie oraz sprawy bezpieczeństwa w naszej części Europy. Spotkanie odbywa się na zaproszenie Prezydenta Francji @EmmanuelMacron. pic.twitter.com/Or18ejaJUa
— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) February 26, 2024
Fico said he saw a risk of a major escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and that no more information could be released to the public.
European leaders, including Fico, gathered in Paris on Monday to send Russian President Vladimir Putin a message of European determination on Ukraine and counter the Kremlin’s narrative that Russia is confident of winning the war.
