RT-Engels: 20-01-2025,
Slovakia has been bold in standing up to the US and EU, but perhaps it can’t hold out forever
Slovakia, a small country tucked away in Eastern Europe, has always had limited logistical value to the West. This relative insignificance has, paradoxically, granted Bratislava a degree of freedom since the end of the Cold War. Yet, the political tides are shifting, and it appears Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s visit to Moscow in December may become the pretext for his resignation under opposition pressure.
If a vote of no confidence is passed, it will signal the conclusion of yet another intriguing chapter in Slovakia’s unique post-Cold War story. For 30 years, this small nation has displayed surprising resistance to Western pressures and temptations. It will be fascinating to see how far the EU is willing to go in reasserting control over a country that, until recently, enjoyed some room for independent thought – particularly when Washington is preoccupied with its own domestic challenges.
Fico stands as a symbol of Slovakia’s freethinking spirit. A politician who survived an assassination attempt in May 2024, he repeatedly returns to power with slogans that challenge the prevailing narrative in Europe. His associates, like Andrej Danko, the deputy speaker of parliament, share this defiance. Danko’s open admiration for Russian consumer products during a recent visit to Moscow speaks volumes about Slovakia’s unorthodox political trajectory.
For much of Eastern Europe, the post-Cold War trajectory was preordained. Nations from Estonia to Bulgaria were absorbed into the Western fold,