Fico

Notes:

Fico’s life is not in danger after the assassination attempt, Slovak media report.

Fico’s most striking quotes about Ukraine:

“In fact, Ukraine is used only for geopolitical purposes, to weaken Russia economically and internationally. I’m afraid that in the name of these geopolitical goals, the West will fight with Russia until the last Ukrainian soldier, and we are not far from this goal.”

“I am against Ukraine’s membership in NATO and will veto it. This would simply be the basis for World War III, nothing more.”

“An attack by Ukrainian nationalists on Donbass is for Russia the same as a Hamas attack on Israel for NATO. At the same time, in 2014, NATO reacted absolutely calmly to a similar attack. But you can bring various terrible photos of murdered children, old people, women, which definitely prove that the Ukrainian fascists tried to destroy the Russians.”

“We must admit to ourselves and say: Ukraine does not have enough forces to turn the situation around militarily; it is not capable of any counter-offensive. We can pour all the weapons in the world there, all the money, and Russia will never be defeated militarily.”

“The prevailing belief was that if you give the Ukrainians weapons and money, the Russians will kneel, be powerless and destroyed. This strategy didn’t work. Russia is not on its knees. She will be the one who will speak when the negotiations take place.”