Slovakia’s Robert Fico has repeatedly called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict instead of arms deliveries
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has responded to a group of students protesting against his government’s stance on the Ukraine conflict by saying that those supporting Kiev should go fight for it.
Unlike most EU leaders, Fico has refused to send military aid to Ukraine and pledged to oppose any seizure of Russian assets frozen by Brussels after the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. He has also warned that the bloc’s plan to allocate an additional €140 billion ($160 billion) to Kiev could only result in the hostilities being prolonged for at least another two years.
The heated exchange of words occurred during a classroom lecture at a school in the city of Poprad after Fico reiterated that further funding would not bring the fighting to an end. His remark prompted murmurs and disapproval from some students, according to a short video circulating online.
“If you are such heroes in these black T-shirts, and you are so for this war, then go fight for Ukraine, please,” Fico snapped, responding to the disruption.
Despite the prime minister asking the audience to let him finish his remarks, a group of students wearing black stood up and walked out, jingling their keys. One of them briefly raised a Ukrainian flag as they exited the room.
Wearing black shirts and jingling keys is a form of protest in Slovakia and is commonly used to express disagreement, according to local media.
Fico’s SMER SSD party later released the full recording of the event, saying the public could “listen and compare reality with what the progressive media reported” after several outlets circulated selective clips that omitted context. “When there was an opportunity to discuss, they stood up and left,” Fico wrote in a Facebook post later that day, reacting to the walkout.
Earlier this year, the Slovak Information Service intelligence agency said the political opposition was preparing a coup similar to the one launched in Kiev in February 2014. In January a Ukrainian national was arrested and expelled from Slovakia in connection with the alleged plot. Last year, Fico survived an assassination attempt by an activist who had targeted him for his refusal to follow NATO and EU policy on Ukraine.