Slovak PM claims to ‘accept’ sending Western troops to Ukraine

Populist Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for his anti-Ukraine stance, claimed on Monday that some NATO and European Union countries were considering sending troops to Ukraine, without giving further details.

“Several NATO and EU member states are considering sending their troops to the territory of Ukraine on a bilateral basis,” Robert Fico told the press after a government meeting. He was speaking ahead of the start of a meeting in Paris of about twenty heads of state and government, mainly Europeans, to reaffirm their support for Ukraine.

“They want the killing to continue”

Robert Fico, elected in October 2023, has in the past questioned Ukraine’s sovereignty and opposed sanctions against Russia.

“We see huge security risks in the bilateral agreements that will soon be concluded with NATO and EU member states that want to send their troops to Ukraine,” he said.

“I can’t even imagine it. There will be troops of NATO member states on the territory of Ukraine. I know what they will do there, but it is confidential information. That is why I will not broadcast it,” he said, adding that such a decision would There will be a “huge escalation of tension”.

Robert Fico described the Paris meeting, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, as a “battle meeting”, condemning the absence of a peace plan. “They want the killing to continue,” he said.