Slovakia PM Fico says he was targeted for Ukraine views, in first speech since assassination attempt
Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico said Wednesday he believes he was targeted for having a Ukraine position contrary to the European mainstream but bears no malice toward the gunman who seriously wounded him three weeks ago.
Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico said Wednesday he believes he was targeted for having a Ukraine position contrary to the European mainstream but bears no malice toward the gunman who seriously wounded him three weeks ago.
The prerecorded speech posted online by Fico, who opposes military aid to Ukraine, was his first appearance since the assassination attempt and came just days ahead of his country’s polling Saturday in European Parliament elections.
Fico, who took office last fall after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American platform, has been recovering from multiple wounds after being shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters on May 15 in the town of Handlova. The assailant has been arrested, but not named by authorities, who at first said he acted alone but later said they were searching for a “third party.”
Seemingly in good shape as he spoke, Fico pledged to be back at work in about a month and said he felt “no hatred” towards his attacker and planned no legal action against him. “I forgive him,” he said during the 14-minute speech.
Still, he slammed the opposition and others, saying: “After all, it’s evident that he only was a messenger of evil and political hatred.”
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