Slovakia's opposition forces have made no secret of their outrage at Robert Fico's behavior. What's more, they have officially confirmed that they will soon initiate a vote of no confidence in the government of the Slovak Prime Minister.
Points of attention
Fico came under a barrage of criticism for failing to implement important plans and his pro-Russian policies.
MPs from different parties are uniting against the Slovak Prime Minister and his team.
The people of Slovakia are also expressing their dissatisfaction with Fico's behavior.
Slovakia's opposition decided to take revenge on Fico for his arbitrariness
Deputies from the Progressive Slovakia, Freedom and Solidarity, Christian Democrats, Slovakia, For the People, and Christian Union parties have already joined a kind of protest against the Slovak leader.
In addition, they announced that they will initiate a vote of no confidence in Robert Fico's government in the coming days.
One of the main reasons for this decision is that the current prime minister and his team cannot implement the plans that the government was supposed to implement.
Moreover, Fico has repeatedly tried to change the country's political course.
According to oppositionists, they are also outraged by the country's leader's attitude towards neighbors and allies, in particular towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Dissatisfaction with Fico's policies has been brewing for a long time
Michal Šimečko draws attention to the fact that the opposition was prompted to action not only by Fico's scandalous trip to Moscow and meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
According to the politician, there are actually many reasons.
In addition, Slovak opposition members publicly reprimanded the coalition parties for not coming to an extraordinary session of parliament to confirm Slovakia's foreign policy orientation. It is important to understand that without them, the opposition did not have enough votes to open the session.
Recall that the day before, protests against the pro-Russian policy of Prime Minister Robert Fico were held in cities in Slovakia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, notable for a number of powerful statements.
Points of attention
President Zelenskyy emphasized the urgent need to develop a unified European defense and security strategy to counter threats from Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Zelenskyy stressed the importance of Europe and the United States working together to confront the alliance of Russia, Iran, and North Korea, highlighting Ukraine's significant military personnel numbers.
The President underlined the importance of strong security guarantees to prevent further aggression from Russia, warning against weak verbal commitments that could lead to renewed conflict.
Zelenskyy discussed the strategy in relations with the new US President, focusing on neutralizing pro-Russian voices and working towards a fair and reliable end to the war in Ukraine.
The speech highlighted Ukraine's commitment to cooperating with Europe and the US, emphasizing the role of diplomacy in achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, Europe, and America.
On the future of Europe and Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression
The head of state's speech began with the future of Europe against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing armed aggression against Ukraine.
The President emphasized that the international community is currently waiting for Trump's further actions.
According to him, last year at the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, representatives of the American delegation placed it only in third place on the list of priorities after the Indo-Pacific region, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf.
Zelensky also emphasized that he is not sure that Trump is interested in NATO and is ready to treat European institutions with respect.
Regarding the aggressor country Russia, the president noted that the Kremlin is turning this country into an analogue of North Korea.
However, he warned that despite its small economic potential compared to the EU, Russia already produces significantly more weapons.
He noted that Europe and the United States can only confront the threats posed by the alliance of Russia, Iran, and North Korea together with Ukraine.
The President emphasized that while Russia can involve 1.5 million people in the war, Ukraine, in turn, has at least 800,000 military personnel.
On the need for a unified European defense strategy
The Head of State also emphasized the need to develop a unified European security and defense policy, which would oblige countries to spend as much on defense as necessary.
As an example, he cited models of cooperation for Ukraine's defense.
He is convinced that EU countries should create their own analogue of the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system.
Together with Ukraine, we can build air defense systems that can deal with cruise and ballistic missiles of all types.
On the future peace agreement and security guarantees
According to Zelensky, when agreements on war and peace are concluded, there should be a place for Europe at the negotiating table.
According to Zelensky, the main strategy on the path to peace is a transition to diplomacy. But the question is what it will be.
But if the guarantees are weak and only verbal, then from Russia "you will get words, and they will come back with war."
Today, the Russian occupation group on the territory of Ukraine is three times larger than at the beginning of 2022 and exceeds 600 thousand people. And if at the beginning of the war the US provided up to 90% of weapons supplies, today 40% is Ukrainian production, 40% is the US, and the rest is Europe.
He warned that the Kremlin dictator would return to completely occupy all countries that were previously part of the USSR, and then begin to issue ultimatums to one or another country — to withdraw from NATO, and so on.
One of the most important issues that Putin will raise is the reduction of the Ukrainian army several times.
The quickest way to do this is to pressure the US not to admit Ukraine to NATO. And to pressure the rest of the allies to demand that Ukraine reduce its army by a factor of five.
On relations with Trump
The President emphasized that Ukraine's strategy in relations with the new US President Donald Trump is to neutralize all voices that try to promote a pro-Russian position.
So that there are more voices from Europe around him, so that he clearly understands the details and risks that may arise in the future.