The Slovak prime minister announces that Slovakia will not participate in a military conflict triggered by the application of NATO Article 5

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he does not intend to involve Slovakia in a military conflict if NATO’s Article 5 is activated following a possible Russian attack on an allied state. He made the statement during a speech in Prešov, before students and medical staff, amid debates over support for Ukraine and European security.

Fico criticized what he called the “bellicose rhetoric” of European leaders and asked whom the North Atlantic Alliance should be defending against. He said he does not want Slovakia to be forced to send troops into a conflict in which Slovak citizens would not know “who, why and what for” it is being fought.

The statements call into question the Bratislava government’s willingness to honor its obligations under the NATO Treaty, which provides for a collective response in the event of an attack on an ally. Fico did not mention Russia as a military threat to Europe.

After returning to the office of prime minister in the autumn of 2023, Fico halted Slovak military aid to Ukraine and opposed its accession to NATO. In 2024 and 2025, he warned that the Alliance’s expansion could trigger a world war. In June 2026, the Slovak prime minister also rejected continued substantial financial and military support for Kyiv.