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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused opposition leader Michal Simecka of “kissing Zelensky’s ring” during his recent visit to Kyiv and said the MP wanted to stage a coup d’etat in Bratislava. Simecka, the pro-Western leader of the Progressive Slovakia party, headed a delegation of Slovak opposition MPs on a visit to Kyiv Jan. 17. The aim of the visit was to “reopen the door that Robert Fico slammed with his aggressive outbursts,” Simecka said.In an address posted to Facebook late on Jan. 18, Fico said the delegates were “kissing (President Volodymyr) Zelensky’s ring” and “promising him support for Ukraine’s membership in NATO.” Fico said the opposition wanted to stage a coup and alluded to Ukraine’s EuroMaidan revolution in his accusation.”We are preparing for all possible alternatives,” he said. “We will be ready for everything. Especially for Maidan, that is, a coup d’etat across the street, which the opposition, especially Progressive Slovakia, is so tenaciously trying to achieve.” Fico, a pro-Russian politician who has long opposed military aid to Ukraine, has escalated threats against Kyiv following the termination of Russian gas transit via Ukrainian territory on Jan. 1. He has threatened to limit aid to Ukrainians and cut off electricity supplies amid an energy crisis brought on by Russia’s relentless attacks against Ukraine’s power grid. As tensions mount, Zelensky and Fico have signaled they may hold talks in the coming days. Fico told reporters on Jan. 16 that he might meet with Zelensky at an unspecified location in the “next few days.” Zelensky on Jan. 17 invited Fico to visit Kyiv. In his address, Fico showed no signs of softening his rhetoric against Ukraine. “Robert Fico is the Slovak Prime Minister, not a Ukrainian servant,” he said. The prime minister said he would likely veto future financial aid to Ukraine from the European Union and reiterated his opposition to Ukraine’s NATO membership. “The government I lead will never support Ukraine’s membership in NATO, because it would only lead to World War III,” Fico said. “The government will also never propose sending soldiers to Ukraine to turn their weapons against the Russian Federation.” Fico’s friendliness towards the Kremlin has sparked outrage both at home and abroad. His meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in December drew condemnation from other European leaders. Mass protests erupted in Bratislava in early January, with thousands chanting “We are not Russia.” A coalition of Slovak opposition parties announced on Jan. 14 that they planned to initiate a vote of no confidence in Fico’s government.Zelensky slaps sanctions on Ukraine’s top pro-Russian politiciansPresident Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree imposing new sanctions on Ukraine’s top pro-Russian politicians, he announced on Jan. 19.
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