UKRAINE may be threatened by a big military conflict. The probability that it will erupt currently stands at 70 percent, Prime Minister Robert Fico said at HN Club, a discussion forum organised by the Hospodárske Noviny daily.
“I am talking about direct military conflict,” Fico said, as quoted by the SITA newswire, stressing this does not concern the Russia-Ukraine dispute.
Fico said he has this information from a German source, but refused to name it. He further stated that Europe is concerned about such a conflict. Therefore he assumes that Europe should find forces that will be willing to act as peacemakers.
“If the war erupts there, if something happens, Slovakia will suffer greatly,” Fico said, as quoted by SITA.
The PM however does not think that an increase in spending on defence to 2 percent of GDP, a promise it gave NATO when joining the Alliance, would help Slovakia.
“Let’s be a bit pragmatic and rational and let’s say what would happen if we increased the spending on defence from 1 to 2 percent,” Fico continued. “Geopolitically it would mean nothing, only the armament firms would be happy.”
Slovakia does not have a chance to influence big conflicts, Fico added. He also repeated that he considers the current situation in Ukraine as a larger Russian-US conflict. He feels sorry that the European Union has not played any adequate role in it.
Fico went on to say that the annexation of Crimea by Russia is a closed issue. He however cannot imagine further encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The PM also repeated his opinion that Ukraine should not join NATO, SITA wrote.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
