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Too busy for NATO? Fico ditches Rutte, but finds time for US event
PM Robert Fico (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte paid his first visit to Slovakia on Thursday since taking office. He met with President Peter Pellegrini, Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák, and even soldiers in central Slovakia. But one key figure was missing – Prime Minister Robert Fico.
On the first day of February, Fico told ambassadors in Slovakia that Rutte would be visiting. “You know that I have reservations about some of his statements, and I believe that a personal meeting with the Secretary General will allow me to clarify these matters,” the Moscow-leaning prime minister said at the time. In response to Rutte’s earlier remarks, Fico also reiterated that Slovakia would not contribute towards covering the cost of US military supplies to Ukraine. Back in January, Fico had warned Rutte to “think twice before he says something.” Nineteen days later, he unceremoniously dropped the meeting, despite Rutte seemingly counting on it as late as February 18. NATO’s website removed the scheduled meeting with Fico on February 19 – just a day before Rutte’s trip to Bratislava.
Instead of meeting the NATO chief, Fico – who calls himself a social democrat but has shifted his rhetoric towards conservative and even far-right positions – chose to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a platform for right-wing and conservative leaders, in the US. His speech, scheduled for Friday at 22:35 CET, will last just 15 minutes. While it might appear that he was invited due to his criticism of the EU’s migration policy and his anti-LGBT+ stance, that may not have been the organisers’ original intention. Slovak conservative MEP Miriam Lexmann told Denník N, “CPAC organisers did not seek out Robert Fico – he expressed interest in speaking.” Lexmann, who recently returned from a trip to the US, suggested that Fico secured a spot on the main stage through his European connections – possibly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has spoken at the conference in the past.
And while people are left guessing what he will say, let’s turn back to Rutte’s visit to Slovakia. Speaking at Comenius University in Bratislava, Rutte once again urged NATO members to raise defence spending above 3 percent of GDP and expand Europe’s defence industry capacity. “We have too many shortfalls, and 2 percent is simply not enough to cover them,” he stated, adding that NATO allies will decide on future defence spending levels at this year’s NATO summit in The Hague.
(source: cpac.org)
President Pellegrini: The Slovak president stated that Slovakia recognises its obligations to NATO. “We must admit that we built our armed forces for peacetime, as if war would never again return to our continent,” he said. At present, Slovakia allocates and plans to continue allocating 2 percent of its GDP to defence and is open to discussions on increasing this funding. However, he noted that any such increase would require changes to the EU’s fiscal rules. He emphasised that lasting peace in Ukraine will not be possible without EU security guarantees, supported by the United States. Regarding the potential deployment of troops from some EU countries to Ukraine, he described the discussion as premature. Several media outlets noted that Pellegrini did not mention Russia even once in his speech.
Opposition: “It is a completely embarrassing excuse,” said former foreign minister and diplomat Ivan Korčok (Progressive Slovakia), who previously led negotiations on Slovakia’s NATO accession, in response to Fico’s decision to avoid Rutte. Korčok also criticised Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár for not attending a security conference in Munich, where President Pellegrini was present. “Our partners do not trust us because, along with Hungary, we are the Kremlin’s Trojan horses in the EU and NATO,” he said about the government’s foreign policy.
While the prime minister managed to avoid Rutte, it seems he is not welcome at the table among European leaders. In December, Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and has repeatedly criticised Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for halting the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukrainian territory. Last year, after a summit, Fico claimed that Europe was preparing to send troops to Ukraine – much to French President Emmanuel Macron’s displeasure. Slovak leaders were not invited to the informal talks initiated by Macron, which took place on Monday and Wednesday. President Pellegrini criticised Macron for his “strange” approach, accusing him of dividing Europe. However, in a video posted on February 19, Fico suggested - not for the first time - he had little interest in such meetings. He described them as “gatherings of friends of war” or “combat meetings” and, given that his government halted Slovak military aid to Ukraine after coming to power in late 2023, insisted that “Slovakia has no place at such meetings.” He also criticised European countries for their alleged insincerity in now seeking peace negotiations. “For almost three years, the word ‘peace’ was practically banned in the EU,” Fico claimed in the video, calling for a summit of all EU members so that everyone could “face the truth.”
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte walk the red carpet during the official welcome ceremony in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace in Bratislava on Thursday, February 20, 2025. (source: TASR - Pavel Neubauer)
What else did Lexmann say? The MEP told the daily that the United States disapproves of Fico’s ties with Beijing and has reportedly communicated this to him. Lexmann, for instance, highlights the Chinese company Gotion’s project in Slovakia. “According to my information, this company will soon be placed on the US sanctions list due to its use of forced labour in China and associated security risks,” she says. Lexmann also notes that while the Americans are aware of Fico’s anti-American and anti-Ukrainian stance, what truly alarmed them was his meeting with Putin. “The Americans saw it as proof that Fico is not a team player,” she adds.
Before we move on: Minister Kaliňák told TA3 that the CPAC conference is just a “side gig,” and Fico has jetted off to the US to honour Slovak-American soldier Michael Strank, who commanded a US unit during the legendary Battle of Iwo Jima. By the way, if he wanted to, Fico could have met Rutte and still made it to the US.
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FEATURE
Bratislava’s underground sound
Miro Tolla of the band Nihilobstat, who practiced in the Prístavný Most garages in the 1990s, about to be interviewed outside the same garages by budding documentarian Tomáš Bulánek. (source: Tomáš Bulánek)
Bratislava’s legendary garage music scene, a hub for punk, metal, and underground culture since the 1980s, is the subject of a new documentary by musician and filmmaker Tomáš Bulánek. Sound from the Garages explores the space beneath Prístavný most, where generations of bands have rehearsed, performed, and resisted threats from neo-Nazis and city developers alike.
FREE EVENTS IN BRATISLAVA
Enjoy jazz, tours, and carnival fun
Hotel Kyjev in Bratislava
Looking for budget-friendly fun in the capital? Enjoy a world-class jazz concert, explore Bratislava with expert guides in multiple languages, or dive into the festive spirit of Carnival with music, dance, and a lively parade.
IN OTHER NEWS
From Thursday until Monday, gatherings will be held in over 70 cities across Slovakia and abroad to mark the 7th anniversary of the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. The website Protestuj.sk has created an interactive map showing all the locations where these events will take place.
Demokrati and KDH have called on PM Robert Fico to work on preventing the threat of tariffs during his visit to the USA. Such tariffs could endanger the automotive industry, a key sector of Slovakia’s economy.
Attacker Samuel S., who took the lives of two people at a grammar school in Spišská Stará Ves on January 16, has attempted suicide twice while in his cell. On both occasions, prison officers managed to intervene in time and prevent the attempt. (TV Markíza)
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nom.) has again criticised dismissed Bibiana director Zuzana Liptáková, this time for hiring two employees who had undergone psychiatric treatment. At a press conference earlier this week, Šimkovičová claimed their employment was problematic for an institution working with children. She did not specify how she obtained information about the employees’ health conditions. Meanwhile, singer Zuzana Smatanová has called on the minister to apologise for her stance on people seeking psychological help. (Denník N)
For more than four months, Slovakia has been facing a critical lack of rainfall. Drought now affects the entire country, whereas it was previously a regional issue. (Denník N)
Novogal has confirmed that egg production in Dvory nad Žitavou will return to its original level by early April. Slovakia’s largest poultry farm had to cull its entire flock at this site last autumn due to avian flu.
People playing hockey on the Sigord reservoir near Kokošovce, Prešov District, during the spring holidays on Monday, February 17, 2025. (source: TASR - Veronika Mihaliková)
FRIDAY WEATHER BRIEFING: You will wake up to a mostly clear sky, but don’t get too attached - western Slovakia is bringing in the clouds like an uninvited guest. Temperatures will hover between a frosty 0°C and a “warm” 7°C. A light southern breeze will pick up here and there, reaching speeds of up to 30 km/h - just enough to remind you that winter is not quite done with us yet.
The transmitter at the summit of Veľká Javorina (969 m), Holuby’s Cottage, and trees covered in frost on a freezing day in the White Carpathians on Monday, February 17, 2025. (source: TASR - Martin Medňanský)
PARTY TIME: February 21 is Eleonóra’s special day, so if you happen to know one, don’t forget to send her your warmest wishes. Všetko najlepšie!
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