The former right-wing, social-democratic prime minister reacted to the meeting in the Kremlin over the weekend.
The former left-wing Prime Minister Vladimír Špidla pointed out that “it is difficult to estimate whether the consequences of the terrible accident that happened to him are not behind this.” He was referring to the assassination attempt in Handlova in May.
“It means terrible stress that can affect you. But the most important thing is that he tries to stabilize his power, and therefore uses the means that seem to him to be effective. Regardless of the far-reaching consequences. That means a lot to a person, and the question is whether personal things also play a role,” he speculated in Špidla.
He pointed to the European integration of states in Central Europe. “I don’t know what Robert Fico’s intentions are, but I think they are far smaller on the big chessboard and far more focused on domestic politics,” he added.
Topolánek: I was shocked by being shocked
Mirek Topolánek, the former prime minister for the right-wing ODS, joined Fico’s criticism.
“The fact that someone is shocked by the fact that the transit through Ukraine has ended shocks me. We have known about this for a very long time. The idea that Ukraine will not take advantage of the situation at this moment and at least in the short term will affect the revenues to the Russian budget is logical,” he said in the study.
Since the New Year – after the expiration of the agreement with the Russian side – Kyiv has not resumed the transit of Russian gas to Europe. Fico repeatedly criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyi for this move and threatened the Ukrainians with retaliatory measures, including stopping aid to the country and vetoing the EU vote if the situation is not resolved.
Topolánek emphasized that the Ukrainians’ move was expected. “It was nothing unexpected or fatal. We were prepared for it, and the threatened countries were called Hungary, Slovakia and Austria, they were much more dependent on Russia. Today, also thanks to Czech investment activities, Slovakia is connected to Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Austria,” he continued.
“The fact that he agreed with Putin to send him the gas via Turkstream and get it from Hungary is more a matter of price. Fico is much more social and populist, so it is important for him to give a cheap price. Tomorrow, he can easily buy gas through Poland, from the West through Transgaz to Slovakia for domestic consumption, but he doesn’t do it – because it’s a higher price. It’s all about brutal populism,” Topolánek repeated.
“And if he thinks – and I know him very well – that he will get the attention of Donald Trump, then when he comes to Hungary or Slovakia, he will tell them both (Fico and Orbán, note): Guys, I’m glad that I have a ‘base’ in Central Europe. But you will not collaborate with China – let’s not even talk about that. And you have to be careful with that Russian too. I think that these are not players for Trump that he can rely on in Europe. It will rather be Meloni (Italian prime minister, note) and other actors. This play by Robert Fico is for domestic audiences and possibly to get some subsidies from the EU. Because these potentates always play it this way,” concluded Topolánek.
Fischer: Fico plays on two stages
Even the former head of the cabinet of officials, Jan Fischer, assumes that Prime Minister Fico is “apparently playing on two stages”.
“He’s trying hard to play on the geopolitical wave, where I think in his case it’s not about any big role, as he paints it,” he said on the show.
“I, like everyone, would actually be interested in what you and Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin, note) said. I think it was relatively little about the gas and they talked about other things. They may have touched on the future geopolitical arrangement of Europe. Maybe Putin explained to him how he imagines him in the Russian vision. But Slovakia’s role there can only be passive and can only pay for it. And that’s the problem. I don’t know if Robert Fico is aware of how he is treating his nation,” thinks Fischer.
“Putin will put it on the agenda of the systematic fragmentation of the EU: yes, Fico was here and that’s all,” he added to the meeting of the Slovak prime minister in the Kremlin.
