PM Fico clashes with British ambassador after Russian TV appearance
In a public rebuke, British Ambassador Nigel Baker called out Robert Fico’s TV interview with a sanctioned Russian host.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico bristled at criticism from British Ambassador Nigel Baker, who took to social media to condemn Fico’s appearance on Russian state television last week, where the Slovak leader denounced Western policies on Ukraine.
“It’s regrettable that Prime Minister Fico agreed to an interview with Olga Skabayeva—an individual on the British and EU sanctions lists,” wrote Ambassador Baker, emphasising that it is untrue that the West is opposed to peace in Ukraine.
Fico became the first EU member state leader to appear on Rossiya 1’s propaganda programme, where he condemned European leaders’ positions on the Ukraine war and expressed his interest in attending the 80th anniversary of the end of Second World War in Moscow.
Fico denounced the ambassador’s remarks as “outrageous”.
“Mr. Ambassador, I have no idea what gives you the right to interfere in my media engagements,” Fico said in a video. “You would do better to scrutinise the quality of Western media’s coverage of the war in Ukraine; you’d find it often crude propaganda defending the indefensible.”
He challenged Baker to cite a single Western or British peace initiative related to the Ukraine conflict, arguing that none exists.
“In April 2022, shortly after the conflict erupted, they did everything to prevent genuinely prepared peace agreements from being signed. Zelensky’s peace plan gathered dust as unrealistic, and instead of presenting a new version, the Ukrainian president now proposes a victory plan that seeks medium- and long-range missiles to strike targets within Russian territory,” claimed Fico.
In making his case, Fico frequently omits the fact that peace talks collapsed partly due to the Bucha massacre in March 2022, where Russian forces killed hundreds of Ukrainians. Additionally, no ceasefire deal was ready that spring.
Fico believes that Zelensky’s current plan is not a route to peace but a path to a third world war.
Ambassador Baker also criticised Fico earlier in March for claiming that the West did not want peace in Ukraine. At the time, Fico asserted that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had urged Ukrainian leaders not to sign a peace agreement with Russia, which would have guaranteed Ukraine’s future and military neutrality.
Baker’s latest comments were supported by former Slovak defence minister Jaroslav Naď (Demokrati), who noted: “It’s sad that the British ambassador has a stronger pro-Slovak sentiment than our own prime minister.”
“Have you noticed that Fico never speaks negatively about Russian Ambassador [Igor] Bratchikov? It’s curious that he is allowed to spread Russian bloody propaganda on our soil from dawn till dusk,” the former minister also noted.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
