The Slovak authorities will obstruct Ukraine's NATO membership, as it could serve as a basis for the outbreak of a third world war, stated the Prime Minister of the Republic, Robert Fico.
“As long as I am Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, I will instruct the deputies under my control as the head of the ruling party never to agree to Ukraine's NATO membership,” Fico said in an interview with STVR.
At the same time, he emphasized that Bratislava will not oppose Ukraine's membership in the European Union.
In July, NATO countries announced at the summit in Washington an "irreversible path" for Kyiv toward joining the military bloc. In particular, the alliance confirmed that it is ready to invite Ukraine to become a member of the organization once the necessary conditions are met and with the approval of all NATO members.
Ukraine submitted an application for NATO membership in September 2022 under an expedited procedure. However, most members of the bloc deemed this accession impossible while the war with Russia is ongoing. This position is related to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an attack on one member of NATO will be considered an attack on all members of the bloc.
Meanwhile, at the meeting of the contact group on Ukraine's defense issues (the Ramstein format) scheduled for October 12 in Germany, NATO allies are expected to propose concrete steps for Kyiv toward future membership in the alliance.
According to the Washington Post, NATO decided to soften its stance on Ukraine's membership in the military bloc after the United States refused to allow Kyiv to strike Russia with long-range Western weapons. However, the steps that will be proposed to Kyiv at the meeting in Germany "do not meet" the "urgent measures" previously requested by the Ukrainian side, a diplomatic source told the publication.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden might make an important decision regarding Ukraine's NATO membership. Meanwhile, increasing support, including in Washington, is being given to the so-called "West German model"—over 30 years of Germany's NATO membership prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification with East Germany, said Jeremy Shapiro, head of the Washington office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin listed the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, as well as Ukraine's refusal to join NATO, among the conditions for beginning peace negotiations with Kyiv.
