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 Fb.
The professional-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 faux model of Srebrenica,” a reference to an notorious chapter within the Nineteen Nineties disintegration of Yugoslavia during which Serbian troops massacred 8,000 Muslim males and boys.
In his Rossiya 1 interview, Fico accused the West of “prolonging the conflict” 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: ‘Listed below are your weapons, right here is your cash, combat, simply don’t hassle us, we not need something to do with this conflict,’” Fico mentioned.
The Slovak chief added he want to go to Moscow for a celebration of the eightieth anniversary of the tip of World Conflict II in Europe on Might 9 subsequent yr.
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 shouldn’t be enthusiastic about peace is fake. We assist #Zelenskyy’s peace plan. And the quickest method to obtain peace is for [Russia] to depart the territory [of Ukraine],” he wrote on X.
Czech European Individuals’s Occasion MEP Danuše Nerudová mentioned Fico had confirmed he was “a menace to Europe’s safety.”
Again at residence, the chief of the opposition Progressive Slovakia get together, Michal Šimečka, referred to as Fico’s look “an infinite shame,” whereas an MP from the opposition Freedom and Solidarity get together, Juraj Krúpa, described it as “unprecedented.”
“Not even [Moscow-supporting Hungarian Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán would dare [do that],” Krúpa advised a press convention.