Some Western politicians are looking for a conflict between NATO and Russia after a "failed" strategy to defeat Moscow in its war with Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday.
Fico, the longtime Slovak leader who has maintained good relations with Russia and refuses military aid to Ukraine, declared this week that Europe was closer than ever to a full-scale war that could erupt as a result of the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, several European leaders, including those in France and Poland, have warned of Russian hybrid attacks.
In his video message, Fico said that "We are facing a deadly danger," while accusing the West of "pouring gasoline on the fire" through its support for Ukraine, which, according to him, has not brought results.
"The failure of the strategy to destroy Russia through the war in Ukraine has led some Western politicians to believe that, if the goal cannot be achieved through the Ukrainian army and full support for it, then every effort should be made to incite a conflict between NATO and Russia," Fico said in a video posted on social media.
He added that the war in Ukraine is not Slovakia's war nor NATO's, but added that: "Some warmongers within NATO are trying, at all costs, to turn this war into a conflict between Russia and NATO."
Earlier this week, Fico warned that a drone violating airspace could trigger the activation of NATO's collective defense clause and said he wanted to prevent Slovakia, which borders Ukraine and is a member of the NATO military alliance, from becoming embroiled in an armed conflict.
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Macron: Russian hybrid attacks on Europe are intensifying
He said on Saturday that creating a pretext to start a war was easy and reiterated that Slovakia would not send soldiers to fight on the basis of a fabricated pretext.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that Russia was intensifying its campaign of hybrid attacks against Europe.
He cited as evidence of the changing nature of Russian aggression an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport in August, which the German government concluded was carried out by Moscow.
