The new government program of Slovakia’s executive branch, led by populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, foresees “business opportunities” in Ukraine, although the government in Bratislava has cut military aid to Kyiv, Euractiv reports.

The Smer-SD party, led by Fico, won the parliamentary elections held on September 30, with a final tally of 22.95% of the vote. In a highly fragmented parliament, Fico’s formation reached a leadership agreement with Glas (“The Voice”), the party led by former prime minister Peter Pellegrini, and the Slovak National Party.

Pellegrini, himself a former member of Smer-SD who left the formation, gave assurances during the talks that the new ruling coalition would maintain continuity in foreign policy, as Fico campaigned brutally during the campaign to cut aid to Ukraine.

Tiny Slovakia has proven to be one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since the start of Russia’s invasion last year, approving massive military aid to Kiev. If we talk about the cost of aid packages in relation to the population, then Slovakia would be one of the most important partners of Ukraine.

But Pellegrini’s party appears to have reneged on the condition of continued support for Kyiv, and Fico announced just a day after taking office that his government would end all military aid to Ukraine.

What “opportunities for business” does the government of Robert Fitso see in Ukraine

According to the program agreed by the ruling coalition in Bratislava, the Slovak government sees Ukraine mainly as an opportunity for business, especially from the point of view of “the possibility of development of Slovakia, especially of our eastern regions”.

Fico’s government says European funds will be used for this, but also emphasizes opportunities for Slovak companies. The document also states that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Development and Digitalisation, whose portfolio has been transferred to Peter Pellegrini, should first analyze current economic activity and then present a “roadmap for next steps”.

The Slovak leader says he wants to present “concrete initiatives” to help key Slovak companies take part in efforts to stabilize and then rebuild Ukraine. Fico’s government says it will allocate funds at the national level.

Fico, known for his pro-Russian positions, stated during the election campaign, among other things, that “the war in Ukraine began not a year ago, but in 2014, when Ukrainian Nazis and fascists began killing Russian citizens in Donbas and Luhansk.” .

Fico also praised the Soviet Union for allegedly liberating Czech and Slovak territories from Nazi Germany at the end of World War II. “For God’s sake, they freed us, we must respect,” he urged his countrymen.

“We must tell the whole world that freedom came from the East, war always comes from the West,” he added. “It was an unequivocal victory for the Red Army, and Smer-SD will remember this story every day, every hour, every second,” Fizo told his supporters at a pre-election rally.

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