The speech of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on the Russian propaganda channel Russia-1 is aimed at demoralising Ukrainians, creating the impression that they are left alone with the aggressor and may lose the war. This opinion was expressed by Slovak analyst Juraj Mesik in an interview with Ukrinform.
“The main purpose of Fico’s speech with such openly Kremlin-oriented messages is not so much for the Slovak or Russian audience as for Ukrainians. This move is to help Putin by demoralising Ukrainians and making them think that no one in the West is interested in them, that they are alone and can lose,” Mesyk said.
Nevertheless, the expert is convinced that it is Russia that will lose the war strategically, as its economy is on the verge of collapse and is heavily dependent on external supplies from the DPRK and Iran. According to him, Russia’s economy will collapse if Ukraine strikes hard at its key export industries – oil and gas, energy and transport infrastructure.
According to the expert, the Kremlin is now mobilising all possible resources, including speeches by allies such as Fico, to support Ukrainians under pressure, especially against the backdrop of the upcoming US elections, which could affect the amount of support for Ukraine from the West.
Mesik also drew attention to the internal challenges faced by Fico’s government. In particular, 2,700 doctors from more than 30 hospitals are threatening to resign if the healthcare system is not allocated additional funding. “This is just one of the many internal problems facing the prime minister, so one can only guess why he chose to take such a questionable step as appearing on Russian television at this time,” the expert concluded.
Fico became the first head of government of an EU member state to appear on Russian television after the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
