The Slovakian prime minister has repeatedly accused the West of fuelling the conflict, claiming the war should be resolved through diplomacy over fighting, Euronews reports.
Slovakia's Robert Fico vowed he would not allow Ukraine to become a member of NATO as long as he was prime minister, in another blow to Kyiv's aspirations to join the alliance amid Russia's ongoing invasion.
"I will direct the lawmakers under my control as chairman of the (ruling Smer) party never to agree to Ukraine joining NATO," he told broadcaster STVR in an interview on Sunday.
"Ukraine's accession to NATO would be a good basis for a third world war," added Fico, who has been a vocal critic of the West's military and financial support to Ukraine since Russia launched its all-out invasion in early 2022.
These remarks came ahead of Fico’s Monday meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, which is set to focus on cooperation in energy security and infrastructure.
Referring to his stance on Ukraine's NATO accession, Fico claimed to be transparent: "This is something that I have openly told Prime Minister Shmyhal, the Americans, and everyone else."
The Slovakian prime minister has consistently accused the West and the US of fuelling the raging conflict, placing the blame on Europe.
"There is a military conflict in a neighbouring country where Slavs are killing each other, and Europe is significantly supporting this killing, which I just don’t understand," he said on Sunday.
