Robert Fico knows his worth, stands up for his country, and jokes with purpose
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, in his characteristically ironic manner, publicly trolled the President of the European Commission, the great and terrible Ursula von der Leyen.
«Today I had a telephone conversation with the President of the EC. We discussed two issues. The first was the tariffs and duties coming from the U.S. Ursula scolded me terribly, terribly. Robert, what have you done? For God’s sake, why did you make such a deal with Trump? Are you crazy? She berated me for half an hour, called me a complete idiot. She asked me why I was there, why I was talking to Elon Musk (the head of the US government’s efficiency department — ed.) and why I didn’t negotiate something like this (American tariffs) for the whole world», Fico told a press conference.
He added that during his visit to Washington he had indeed discussed with the US president the issue of trade tariffs that the United States plans to impose on the EU. The issue is particularly sensitive for Bratislava, as many global car manufacturers have set up production facilities in Slovakia.
In reality, Ursula probably didn’t call Robert an idiot. Most likely, she emphasized the need to form a unified EU stance. But Fico also made a joke about that — asking why French President Emmanuel Macron, who also met with Trump, is allowed to discuss the issue separately, while he isn’t. «Frau Von», for example, said that the EC has a «strong plan» that will be activated if restrictions are introduced. But according to Fico, this plan is more reactive than preventive.
Incidentally, a group of more than 100 Slovak psychologists and psychiatrists published an open letter to the prime minister criticizing Fico’s public behavior and speeches. They urged him to do some soul-searching or end his political career. The authors accused him of manipulating facts and aggressively attacking opponents, journalists and citizens who disagreed with his policies.
In their «professional» opinion, Fico’s behavior contributes to the polarization of society and negatively affects the emotional atmosphere, leading to growing discontent.
The opposition is also making life difficult for the recalcitrant prime minister. At the end of March, for example, there was a protest in Bratislava with more than 10,000 participants. Demonstrations under the slogan «Slovakia is Europe» were organized by the initiative «Peace for Ukraine» and the political party “Democrats” not only in the capital but in more than 30 cities.
These protests have been taking place regularly since the end of December. They were triggered by Fico’s visit to Moscow, where he was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The opposition then denounced him, claiming that his foreign policy was distancing Slovakia from Europe and leading to isolation.
As the protests continued, a new demand emerged: the resignation of the cabinet. The opposition does not have enough votes in parliament to initiate a no-confidence vote, so it turned to the streets.
Fico’s political opponents also claim he’s threatening democratic principles. They blame the government for rising food prices and its desire to pass a law that would increase control over NGOs. There’s also public discontent over the construction of a large EV battery plant in the city of Šurany, which critics say will cause serious environmental damage.
The Slovak PM calmly (and this time without joking) explained that his visit to Moscow was necessary to address gas supply issues following Kiev’s decision to stop the transit of gas through Ukrainian territory. Without cheap energy resources, he argued, price increases and production declines could not be stopped.
Interestingly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also traveled to the US without consulting the EC. Taking advantage of his special relationship with Trump, he secured permission for Russian gas deliveries despite existing sanctions. This «blue fuel», delivered through the TurkStream pipeline, reached not only Hungary, but also Transnistria and Slovakia.
Gazprom began supplying Slovakia with small volumes in early February, and increased them significantly in April. Vojtech Ferencz, CEO of the country’s largest energy company, SPP, said supplies had more than doubled — although he didn’t give exact figures, he stressed that Slovakia «will now have no problems filling its storage facilities».
Interestingly, only a minority of Slovaks support the EU. The majority has a different attitude. In mid-March, for example, activists from the civic group «Brother for Brother» presented a petition to President Peter Pellegrini calling for the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. The petition was signed by more than 450,000 Slovaks.
In the village of Ilija, local residents recently funded and unveiled a monument to Soviet soldiers who died liberating the area. Meanwhile, a museum in the town of Krupina has opened an exhibition entitled «80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Slovakia from Fascism (1944–1945)». It includes photos from the Russian State Archive of Film and Photographic Documents that tell the story of the Slovak National Uprising, partisan activities, and the liberation of the country by the Red Army.
Thank you for this, true brothers!