“We Won’t Know Who, Why or What For”: Fico Opposes Invoking NATO’s Article 5

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed skepticism about invoking Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

He made the remarks in a speech ahead of his visit to Ukraine, where he is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian officials and European counterparts.

Fico stressed that, despite Slovakia’s membership in NATO, he wants to avoid any direct involvement in military operations under any circumstances.

“Can you imagine, ladies and gentlemen, invoking Article 5 of the NATO Treaty? Can anyone imagine being told to prepare 5,000 or 10,000 soldiers to go and fight somewhere, while we wouldn’t even know who we were fighting, why we were fighting, or what we were fighting for?” Robert Fico said.

He also added that he believes the main task of European politicians should be to call for peace talks, as further escalation of the conflict threatens civilian infrastructure and the stability of Europe as a whole.

“It seems that the main winners from the European Union’s budget for 2028–2034 will be arms companies. Not the citizens, but the arms manufacturers,” the prime minister stressed.

It is worth recalling that since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has significantly expanded its hybrid warfare campaign against European countries, targeting everything from cyberspace and the depths of the Baltic Sea to polling stations and civilian airports.