Kremlin condemns attack on Slovak PM

The Kremlin on Thursday condemned the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and wished him a speedy recovery after he was shot while leaving a government meeting.

 

“Naturally, we condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia. “We consider it absolutely unacceptable; this is really a great tragedy.”

 

“We hope that Mr. Fico will be able to pull through and recover as soon as possible. We wish him a speedy recovery,” Peskov said.

As he prepared for a visit to China, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday made the rare move of sending a telegram to Slovak President Zuzana Caputova over the shooting.

 

“I was indignant to learn about the attempt on the life of the Chairman of the Government of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico.” There can be no justification for this monstrous crime,” Putin said.

 

“I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation,” Putin said.

A 71-year-old man, according to Slovak media, carried out the shooting in the central Slovak town of Handlova, shocking the small central European nation and drawing international condemnation.

 

Fico, who was previously strongly pro-EU in foreign policy, has recently aligned himself more closely with Hungary’s leader Viktor Orban, despite his initial opposition. Known for criticisms against Brussels and a policy leaning towards Russia, although not openly supportive during the Ukraine-Russia conflict, winning the September 2023 election with the SMER Party, the pro-Russian politician Fico ceased military aid to Ukraine and opposed Ukraine’s NATO membership, also criticizing the EU’s sanctions on Russia.

 

Pro-Russian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic congratulated Prime Minister Fico, demonstrating their alignment with the pro-Russian stance.

 

Source: Reuters