Slovak PM says Slovakia should not go to war "because of some Article 5" of NATO

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said he does not intend to fulfil Slovakia's obligations under NATO's Article 5 or take part in defending its allies in the event of a Russian attack.

Source: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during a speech to students and hospital staff in Prešov

Details: Fico did not once mention Russia as an aggressor state or a source of military threat to Europe. Instead, Fico accused European leaders of using "war-mongering rhetoric" and acted as though he did not understand who exactly NATO was supposed to defend itself against.

Quote: "It seems... that sometimes there is a tendency to replace the inability to solve problems such as illegal migration, competitiveness and high energy prices with these war-mongering conversations: let's go, let's fight. For God's sake, who do we want to fight? Who?"

Details: Fico publicly expressed his unwillingness to fulfil the obligations under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which provides for a collective military response by NATO in the event of an attack on one of its members.

Quote: "Can you imagine, ladies and gentlemen, that Article 5 of the NATO treaty would be invoked? Can anyone imagine it? Can anyone imagine being told: get 5,000 soldiers ready, or 10,000 soldiers, and they'll go off somewhere to fight? And we won't even know who we're fighting, why or what for.

I don't want Slovakia to be part of any military conflict because of some Article 5. As prime minister, I will do everything to ensure that Slovakia is never drawn into a military conflict."

Background:

• After returning to the post of Slovak prime minister in autumn 2023, Robert Fico immediately halted military aid to Ukraine and began regularly making anti-Ukrainian statements while justifying Russia's invasion.
• Throughout 2024-2025, Fico consistently opposed Ukraine's membership of NATO and threatened to veto the process. He argued that Ukraine joining NATO would be a direct route to a Third World War.
• In June 2026, ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara in July, Fico came out strongly against further large-scale financial and military support for Ukraine.

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