Kiev has since responded, calling Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s statements “offensive.”
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has likened Ukraine to “grass being trampled by elephants,” cautioning that the country will bear the consequences of aligning with what he sees as the West’s failed attempt to weaken Russia.
Last week, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to discuss a potential resolution to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was not invited to participate in the discussions.
Fico stated in a video posted on Facebook on Saturday that he is paying close attention to the attention surrounding the summit, expressing his hope that the leaders of Russia and the U.S. can come to a “meaningful solution” to the crisis.
Fico, who survived an assassination attempt last year by a pro-Ukraine activist due to his opposition to providing arms to Zelensky’s government, asserted that Kiev will ultimately “pay dearly for the unsuccessful strategy of the West to weaken Russia by supporting the war in Ukraine.”
“Do you remember the old African proverb that I love so much? Would you like me to repeat it? It does not matter if the elephants are fighting or having sex, the grass always suffers. No matter how the meeting of the elephants on August 15 turns out, the grass will suffer – in this case, it is Ukraine,” he explained.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry responded to Fico’s remarks on Sunday, accusing him of using “openly offensive rhetoric towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who are fighting… in the interests of the security of the whole of Europe.”
The Slovak Prime Minister defended his comments in a subsequent Facebook post a few hours later, affirming his right to express his opinions.
Fico refuted Kiev’s accusations, but acknowledged that he understands the “tension and nervousness that must prevail in the political leadership of Ukraine” given the upcoming meeting between Putin and Trump.
“The war in Ukraine has deformed freedom of speech in the EU. Any opinion other than a compulsory opinion is harshly criticized and condemned, even if it is based on objective information. I reject such deliberate deformation of fundamental rights,” Fico stated.