Folks & Energy examines what Robert Fico’s return as Slovakia’s prime minister means for human rights and the Ukraine conflict.
In December 2022, Robert Fico, Slovakia’s former prime minister, was dealing with a slew of prison costs which, if confirmed, would have seen the populist firebrand put behind bars.
Nonetheless, the fees have been dropped, and in an election which observers say was fuelled by hate speech and pro-Kremlin conspiracy theories, Robert Fico was returned to energy in September 2023.
Fico has been accused of regularly insulting the nation’s minorities, so lots of these teams at the moment are frightened of what the longer term holds. Over the border, acutely aware of Fico’s promise to dam sanctions in opposition to Russia and veto a European Union bundle of navy assist for Kyiv, Ukrainians are bracing themselves for the inevitable penalties of a pro-Kremlin neighbour his critics say is bent on breaking the EU consensus on assist for Ukraine.