EGN NEWS DESK
Former Slovak chief Igor Matovič didn’t mince phrases in deploring an look by the nation’s present Prime Minister Robert Fico on Russia’s state-owned Rossiya 1 TV channel on Wednesday.
“What a horrible treacherous ferret,” mentioned Matovič, who served because the nation’s prime minister between 2020 and 2021, in a put up on Facebook.
The pro-Russian Slovak chief was interviewed on “60 Minutes,” a political discuss present hosted by Russia’s sanctioned propagandist-in-chief, Olga Skabeyeva, often called the “iron doll of Putin TV” for her criticism of Russia’s political opposition and of the West. She beforehand dismissed a bloodbath in Bucha, Ukraine by Russian occupying forces as a “hoax” staged by the West to create “a pretend model of Srebrenica,” a reference to an notorious chapter within the Nineteen Nineties disintegration of Yugoslavia by which Serbian troops massacred 8,000 Muslim males and boys.
In his Rossiya 1 interview, Fico accused the West of “prolonging the warfare” by supporting Ukraine, described Western sanctions in opposition to Russia as ineffective and mentioned he was prepared to barter with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The European Union tells Ukrainians: ‘Here are your weapons, right here is your cash, struggle, simply don’t trouble us, we not need something to do with this warfare,’” Fico mentioned.
The Slovak chief added he wish to go to Moscow for a celebration of the eightieth anniversary of the tip of World War II in Europe on May 9 subsequent 12 months.
Fico’s prerecorded look on the propaganda channel sparked outrage amongst Slovak opposition politicians, MEPs and Ukrainian officers.
“Slovak Prime Minister Fico gave an interview to Russian propagandist Olga [Skabeyeva]. Let me remind you that [Skabeyeva] referred to as for the occupation of Ukraine, the killing of Ukrainians, and inciting hatred in opposition to Ukraine. Fico can simply transfer to Moscow if he loves Russia a lot,” mentioned Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko in a put up on X.
British Ambassador to Slovakia Nigel Baker mentioned it was “regrettable” that Fico had agreed to be interviewed by Skabayeva.
“The declare that the West will not be fascinated with peace is fake. We assist #Zelenskyy’s peace plan. And the quickest option to obtain peace is for [Russia] to depart the territory [of Ukraine],” he wrote on X.
Czech European People’s Party MEP Danuše Nerudová mentioned Fico had confirmed he was “a menace to Europe’s safety.”
Back at house, the chief of the opposition Progressive Slovakia party, Michal Šimečka, referred to as Fico’s look “an unlimited shame,” whereas an MP from the opposition Freedom and Solidarity party, Juraj Krúpa, described it as “unprecedented.”
“Not even [Moscow-supporting Hungarian Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán would dare [do that],” Krúpa instructed a press convention.
