Sputnik V is a tool of hybrid war, foreign affairs minister says

Some coalition partners talk about leaving the coalition.

Ivan KorčokIvan Korčok (Source: SITA)

Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok (SaS) will ask for a meeting of the three highest constitutional representatives, i.e. President Zuzana Čaputová, Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár (Sme Rodina) and PM Igor Matovič (OĽaNO), to reaffirm the foreign policy orientation of Slovakia.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

“I need the reassurance that nothing has changed in our foreign policy,” Korčok told the media on March 2, a day after the Sputnik V vaccine was delivered to Slovakia.

During the press conference, he appreciated the foreign policy achievements in the past year. He said Matovič has been, until now, sending very clear messages where Slovakia belongs, also regarding rule of law in the EU and the situation in Belarus.

SkryťTurn off ads

“For me, it will be decisive what happens after this moment, which I would call a slip or lapse,” Korčok told the media. “I am not throwing this into the trash.”

Tool of hybrid war

Korčok considered the discussions on the Sputnik V purchase happening in Slovakia for several weeks solely as an attempt to get out of the pandemic, as vaccination is the only way out, he said. This perception changed when he saw the prime minister personally welcoming vaccines to Slovakia.

In his reaction published on Facebook on March 1, Korčok described the press conference at the Košice airport on March 1 as an inappropriate gesture, because Slovakia has never welcomed vaccines at airports, even registered ones.

The supply of Sputnik V to Europe encourages the disinformation scene and pro-Kremlin forces, he continued.

SkryťTurn off ads

“At this moment, it is clear that Sputnik V is not only a vaccine, but a tool of hybrid war,” Korčok noted.

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

Janka, a blogger, during the inauguration of the first flight to Athens with Aegean Airlines at the airport in Bratislava on September 14, 2023.

A Czech rail operator connects Prague and Ukraine, Dominika Cibulková endorses Pellegrini, and Bratislava events.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad