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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has assured that Ukraine will not join NATO as long as he is in power.
While Ukraine has been seeking to join the military organization for several months and many countries support its membership, Slovakia has indicated that it will remain firmly opposed.
“As long as I am the head of the Slovak government, I will ask the deputies who are under my control as chairman of the [Smer] party to never accept Ukraine’s membership in NATO,” the leader said on the O päť minút dvanásť programme.
The statement contrasts sharply with comments by Mark Rutte, NATO’s new secretary general, who said last week that Ukraine was “closer than ever” to joining the organization.
For a country to join NATO, member countries must unanimously approve its entry, as stipulated in the rules of the organization founded in 1949. Other countries close to Russia could also use their veto power against Ukraine.
NATO welcomed two new members this year, first Sweden in March and then Finland the following month.
