02:28Mandatory credit: Government of Slovakia
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico described Ukraine's potential accession to NATO as a 'guarantee of World War III', in a video address recorded during the ongoing NATO Summit in Washington DC on Thursday.
Fico is recovering after being shot in mid-May, and made his first public appearance last week, with his defence and foreign ministers representing the NATO member in the US.
"I have asked both ministers, to insist on the following when negotiating the text of the Final Declaration - that Ukraine's membership in NATO is only possible, if all NATO member states agree in their parliaments and if all the conditions for membership are met," he outlined.
He added that the deputies in his own parliament would not agree to it.
"I understand Ukraine's wishes; it is a sovereign country, but Ukraine's membership in NATO is all but a guarantee of World War III. Although frankly, even without Ukraine's NATO membership, we are not far from it, if we look at how some advanced democracies are stirring the pot," he claimed.
At the summit, allies agreed a joint declaration saying Ukraine's journey to membership was an 'irreversible path'.
Fico has previously suggested he was targeted for having views on the Ukraine conflict which were at odds with the mainstream EU position.
"What is important is that you profess the only correct opinion when it comes to the war in Ukraine," he continued during the address, comparing it 'applauding the victory' in women's swimming of a 'full-fledged 100-pound guy'.
"Then you can do everything. Then nobody notices what you are doing in your own country. Whether you are plundering it, whether you are liquidating the opposition or grossly violating human rights," he said.
He also spoke out in defence of Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's own 'peace mission' and recent trips to Ukraine, Russia and China.
"What they did with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban… he made his decision as a sovereign politician, I repeat, as a sovereign politician, to visit Ukraine, Russia and China and spread peace initiatives. This is simply not allowed [by the mainstream public opinion], he claimed. "If he went to preach that Slavs should kill each other even more intensely, maybe someone would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize."
EU leaders condemned Orban's trips and said he had 'no mandate' from the bloc. During the Summit in DC, the Hungarian PM himself accused the alliance of being more like a 'war organisation' with 'irresponsible, reckless' support for Kiev.
Ukraine NATO membership 'guarantee of World War III' - Slovakian PM's video address amid 75th DC summit
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico described Ukraine's potential accession to NATO as a 'guarantee of World War III', in a video address recorded during the ongoing NATO Summit in Washington DC on Thursday.
Fico is recovering after being shot in mid-May, and made his first public appearance last week, with his defence and foreign ministers representing the NATO member in the US.
"I have asked both ministers, to insist on the following when negotiating the text of the Final Declaration - that Ukraine's membership in NATO is only possible, if all NATO member states agree in their parliaments and if all the conditions for membership are met," he outlined.
He added that the deputies in his own parliament would not agree to it.
"I understand Ukraine's wishes; it is a sovereign country, but Ukraine's membership in NATO is all but a guarantee of World War III. Although frankly, even without Ukraine's NATO membership, we are not far from it, if we look at how some advanced democracies are stirring the pot," he claimed.
At the summit, allies agreed a joint declaration saying Ukraine's journey to membership was an 'irreversible path'.
Fico has previously suggested he was targeted for having views on the Ukraine conflict which were at odds with the mainstream EU position.
"What is important is that you profess the only correct opinion when it comes to the war in Ukraine," he continued during the address, comparing it 'applauding the victory' in women's swimming of a 'full-fledged 100-pound guy'.
"Then you can do everything. Then nobody notices what you are doing in your own country. Whether you are plundering it, whether you are liquidating the opposition or grossly violating human rights," he said.
He also spoke out in defence of Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's own 'peace mission' and recent trips to Ukraine, Russia and China.
"What they did with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban… he made his decision as a sovereign politician, I repeat, as a sovereign politician, to visit Ukraine, Russia and China and spread peace initiatives. This is simply not allowed [by the mainstream public opinion], he claimed. "If he went to preach that Slavs should kill each other even more intensely, maybe someone would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize."
EU leaders condemned Orban's trips and said he had 'no mandate' from the bloc. During the Summit in DC, the Hungarian PM himself accused the alliance of being more like a 'war organisation' with 'irresponsible, reckless' support for Kiev.
Mandatory credit: Government of Slovakia
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico described Ukraine's potential accession to NATO as a 'guarantee of World War III', in a video address recorded during the ongoing NATO Summit in Washington DC on Thursday.
Fico is recovering after being shot in mid-May, and made his first public appearance last week, with his defence and foreign ministers representing the NATO member in the US.
"I have asked both ministers, to insist on the following when negotiating the text of the Final Declaration - that Ukraine's membership in NATO is only possible, if all NATO member states agree in their parliaments and if all the conditions for membership are met," he outlined.
He added that the deputies in his own parliament would not agree to it.
"I understand Ukraine's wishes; it is a sovereign country, but Ukraine's membership in NATO is all but a guarantee of World War III. Although frankly, even without Ukraine's NATO membership, we are not far from it, if we look at how some advanced democracies are stirring the pot," he claimed.
At the summit, allies agreed a joint declaration saying Ukraine's journey to membership was an 'irreversible path'.
Fico has previously suggested he was targeted for having views on the Ukraine conflict which were at odds with the mainstream EU position.
"What is important is that you profess the only correct opinion when it comes to the war in Ukraine," he continued during the address, comparing it 'applauding the victory' in women's swimming of a 'full-fledged 100-pound guy'.
"Then you can do everything. Then nobody notices what you are doing in your own country. Whether you are plundering it, whether you are liquidating the opposition or grossly violating human rights," he said.
He also spoke out in defence of Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's own 'peace mission' and recent trips to Ukraine, Russia and China.
"What they did with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban… he made his decision as a sovereign politician, I repeat, as a sovereign politician, to visit Ukraine, Russia and China and spread peace initiatives. This is simply not allowed [by the mainstream public opinion], he claimed. "If he went to preach that Slavs should kill each other even more intensely, maybe someone would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize."
EU leaders condemned Orban's trips and said he had 'no mandate' from the bloc. During the Summit in DC, the Hungarian PM himself accused the alliance of being more like a 'war organisation' with 'irresponsible, reckless' support for Kiev.