Slovakia’s Fico blames Czech President Pavel for warmongering

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico posted on X on 20 September: “I AM NOT, AND WILL NEVER BE, AMONG THOSE LOOKING FOR A PRETEXT FOR WAR BETWEEN NATO AND RUSSIA. I respect that Czech President Petr Pavel, as a former NATO general, would like to fight. I would therefore appreciate it if he respected the fact that I prefer peace.” He added that Western military rhetoric distracts from problems such as energy prices and migration, that Slovak soldiers will not join any “military adventure provoked by anyone within NATO” while he is prime minister, and that Article 5 still offers several options for solidarity if an actual attack occurs.

I AM NOT, AND WILL NEVER BE, AMONG THOSE LOOKING FOR A PRETEXT FOR WAR BETWEEN NATO AND RUSSIA
I respect that Czech President Petr Pavel, as a former NATO general, would like to fight. I would therefore appreciate it if he respected the fact that I prefer peace.
Czech President…
— Robert Fico 🇸🇰 (@RobertFicoSVK) September 20, 2026

The remark targeted the elected head of state of the Czech Republic, an EU and NATO ally with which Slovakia shares a long common history, a similar language, and membership in the Visegrád Group. Characterizing Pavel – a retired army general who once chaired NATO’s Military Committee – as someone who “would like to fight” turned a policy disagreement into a personal accusation. Diplomats and commentators immediately described the wording as undiplomatic because it implied that a neighbouring president personally seeks war rather than simply defending the principle of collective defence.

How to interpret Article 5?

Fico’s comments followed his own earlier statements that he did not want Slovakia drawn into conflict “because of some Article 5.” Czech President Petr Pavel called those remarks “completely serious” and said they should not be emulated. “Article 5 is clearly an expression of solidarity and mutual responsibility,” Pavel said. “If anyone says they are glad to be a member of NATO… but at the same time they are not willing to get involved if anyone else is attacked, then they have not understood the word solidarity.” Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, while more measured, also urged caution, stating that Slovakia must not question its alliance commitments or send a signal that it would stand aside in a crisis.

Fico has pursued a distinctly independent line toward Russia since returning to office in 2023. His government halted official military aid to Ukraine, arguing that weapons only prolong the war. Slovakia remains heavily dependent on Russian energy, and Fico has repeatedly called for “normalisation” of ties with Moscow. He met Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on 22 December 2024, to discuss gas transit after Ukraine threatened to halt flows and to talk about the war and bilateral relations. He travelled to Moscow again on 9 May 2026, for Victory Day commemorations, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, held a short meeting with Putin, and skipped the military parade. Baltic states denied his aircraft overflight rights for that trip. These visits, exceptional for an EU leader, have drawn criticism from other NATO and EU capitals that see them as undermining the policy of isolating Russia.

Reactions split along familiar lines. Czech and much of the Slovak opposition media portrayed Fico’s jab as an attack on alliance cohesion at a moment of rising hybrid threats and drone incidents. On X, users accused him of echoing Kremlin talking points or of being a “Bolshevik” politician more interested in avoiding accountability than in genuine peace. Supporters praised the post as a necessary rejection of escalation and asked why a former general’s views should override a prime minister’s duty to keep his country out of war. The exchange has laid bare the growing gap between Slovakia’s current government and several of its closest neighbours over how far NATO members should go in supporting Ukraine and confronting Russia.

Fico’s latest public clash with Pavel comes just weeks after he and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš both visited Sofia for talks with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Fico travelled to Bulgaria on 4 September; Babiš followed on 16 September. The three leaders used the meetings to highlight a shared line on Ukraine: they want European summits to talk more about peace than about further weapons and money for Kyiv, arguing that a prolonged war of attrition is damaging their own economies and social systems. Radev has described the gatherings as the start of a Central European grouping that puts citizens’ security ahead of continued military support for Ukraine. Fico presents the same stance as a consistent “quest for peace,” the same framing he used when he accused Pavel of preferring to fight.

Bulgaria’s Radev seeks Central European front against further military aid for Ukraine

Caption: Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico attends a press conferencd after a Visegrad Group (V4) and Ireland leaders’ summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, 10 September 2026. EPA/JAKUB GAVLAK