Sept 19 (Reuters) – Some Western politicians are seeking 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.
Longtime Slovak leader Fico, who has kept up warm relations with Russia and refuses military aid for Ukraine, said this week that Europe was closer than ever to a large-scale war erupting from the Ukraine war.
At the same time, some European leaders, such as those in France and Poland, have warned of Russian hybrid attacks.
In his video message, Fico said, “We face a mortal danger” while watching the West “pour fuel on the fire” with its support for Ukraine, which he said had been to no avail.
“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 must be made to trigger a conflict between NATO and Russia,” Fico said in the video posted on social media.
He said the war in Ukraine was not Slovakia’s nor NATO’s war but said, “Certain war hawks within NATO are trying, at any cost, to turn this war into a conflict between Russia and NATO.”
Earlier this week, Fico warned a drone incursion could spark the activation of NATO’s collective defence clause and he wanted to prevent Slovakia — which neighbours Ukraine and is a member of the NATO military alliance — from becoming part of an armed conflict.
He said on Saturday that creating a pretext to start a war was easy and reiterated Slovakia would not send soldiers to fight under a fabricated pretext.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that Russia was intensifying its campaign of hybrid attacks against Europe, and he cited an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport in August, which the German government concluded Moscow was behind, as evidence of the changing nature of Russian aggression.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday, citing unnamed intelligence agencies, that Russia plans to launch hybrid drone and missile attacks against countries supporting Ukraine.
(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague;Editing by Rod Nickel)
