New Slovakian leader announces country will end military aid to Ukraine

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Thursday that his country would no longer supply Ukraine with military aid for its war against Russia, becoming the first NATO member to reverse course.

Fico's party won elections in September after campaigning heavily on ending military aid to Ukraine. While the small European nation had been a relatively modest provider of military hardware, the prior government had nonetheless been among the most vocal opponents of the Russian invasion.

"I will support zero military aid to Ukraine... An immediate halt to military operations is the best solution we have for Ukraine. The EU should change from an arms supplier to a peacemaker," he said, according to AFP.

He further indicated that Slovakia would not support the imposition of additional sanctions on Russia without considering the impact on its own economy.

"I will not vote for any sanctions against Russia unless we see analyses of their impact on Slovakia," he added. "If there are to be such sanctions that will harm us, like most sanctions have, I can see no reason to support them."

Slovakia is one of four European Union nations that share a border with Ukraine, the others being Romania, Poland, and Hungary. The latter has been critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky throughout the conflict and has largely maintained strong relations with Russia, in stark contrast to the rest of the bloc.

Fico's declaration comes as the United States faces an ongoing budget battle that could result in the cessation or reduction of aid to Kyiv as Republicans look to cut spending. Slovakia's reversal has further prompted wider fears of other European nations following its lead.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.