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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Monday that he will inform his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal that his country will oppose Ukraine's accession to NATO.
According to him, Ukraine's membership means "nothing but the basis for the Third World War".
Fico is preparing to travel to Ukraine on January 24 to meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal for talks in the Ukrainian border town of Uzhhorod.
One reason for the visit is additional aid to Ukraine, although in an interview on Slovak television on January 20, Fico said he would make clear the Slovak position on Ukraine's intention to join NATO.
"I will tell [Shmyhal] that I am against Ukraine's membership in NATO and that I will veto it," Fico said, adding that if Ukraine were in NATO, "some conflicts would be constantly incited " and "if the collision between Russia and a NATO member state happens once, we will have a world war".
In July last year, NATO reiterated its position that Ukraine will one day become a member of the alliance.
Member states have voted to simplify Ukraine's path to membership, such as removing the requirement for a membership action plan.
The Alliance has also formed the NATO-Ukraine Council to improve relations between the two parties.
However, some member countries have doubts about when they should accept Ukraine into NATO.
Slovakia, which has been a member of NATO since 2004, has long been one of Ukraine's biggest supporters in its defense against Russian aggression.
But when Fico's left-wing nationalist government took power in October last year, Slovakia decided not to supply Kiev with weapons.
Among other things, in the interview, Fico claimed that Ukraine is not an independent and sovereign country, since, according to him, it is "under the total influence and control of the United States".
This statement constitutes a false claim that Russia has repeatedly repeated.
Fico has said, among other things, that his visit is very important to him and he will be interested to hear what solutions Ukraine has to end the war, because, according to him, the current policy means "to you've got another 200,000 people dead."
He believes that some kind of compromise is needed to end the fighting, stressing that "it will be very painful for both sides."
As for Ukraine's intention to join the European Union, Fico has said that Slovakia supports Kiev in this regard.
"I will tell [Shmyhal] that we respect them, but they must meet the conditions."
Regarding his meetings in Ukraine, Fico has said he will tell Ukrainian officials that their country is "one of the most corrupt countries in the world," raising questions about how much of the aid the country receives is "lost or channeled toward some criminal structures".
The war in Ukraine started on February 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the war a "special military operation" to demilitarize Ukraine. The West has responded to Russia, hitting the economy of this country with harsh sanctions. As a result of the war, thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced from their homes./ REL
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