- Cabinet members reject Politico magazine’s information about Fico’s assessment of Trump.
- Ministers Takač and Šutaj Eštok do not know the details of Fico’s meeting with Trump.
- Kaliňák questions the objectivity of Politico and calls their reports untrue.
- Juraj Blanár described Fico’s meeting with Trump as friendly and constructive.
- Denisa Sakova confirmed that the talks with Trump took place in a professional atmosphere.
Head of the Agricultural Department Richard Takáč (Smer-SD) and Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas-SD) they do not know the details of the meeting with Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) with US President Donald Trump. They stated this before the government meeting in response to the claims of Politico magazine.
“There’s no point in commenting on that. I didn’t discuss it with the prime minister. He didn’t trust me,” he noted Šutaj Eštok. According to him, Trump primarily protects the interests of the USA and cannot be expected to protect the interests of the European Union or Slovakia. “Certainly many of Trump’s steps are not in line with the interests of the Slovak Republic. He wants the USA to be strong. I want the EU to be strong and Slovakia to be strong.” he stated.
He doesn’t even have details about Fico’s meeting with Trump Minister Takač. According to him, Politico magazine does politics and perceives the article as evoking emotions and stirring up society. He thinks that Trump’s actions are not standard in international politics, he violated international law with Venezuela.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Slovak Republic Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD) rejected the information of the Politico portal after the government negotiations. “If Robert Fico would like to express himself critically, he knows how to say his opinions straight,” he emphasized. At the same time, he pointed out that he does not see Politico as an objective media even from previous experiences.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Juraj Blanár (Smer-SD) responded to the magazine’s claim that someone does not like the sovereign foreign policy of the Slovak government. He described Fico’s meeting with Trump as very open, friendly and constructive.
“We mainly discussed our bilateral relations in cooperation on the development of the civilian nuclear program. That is actually the goal of our visit,” pointed out Blanár. He claims that they also talked about the war in Ukraine, Gaza, and the observance of international law. “The discussion was pragmatic and we appreciate that President Trump is clearly presenting the national interests of the US, even if we disagree with many of the things he is doing,” he stated.
The head of the Ministry of Economy was also in the delegation that accepted the official invitation to visit Trump Denisa Sakova (Hlas-SD). “I was not directly at the negotiations. (…) According to the feedback I received from this meeting, as well as the personal meeting after this official date and the small talk I had with the American president, I can only confirm that all discussions took place in a friendly and professional tone and in a very pleasant environment,” added Sakova. He does not know where the information about Trump’s mental health came from.
Prime Minister of the SR Robert On Wednesday, Fico rejected claims by Politico magazine that that on the sidelines of last week’s European Council meeting in Brussels, he told some EU state leaders about his concerns about the “psychological state” of US President Donald Trump, whom he had previously met at his Mar-a-Lago Florida residence. Politico cited five unnamed European diplomats in its claims. However, Fico described the magazine’s information as lies.
