Fico seeks rapprochement with EU after unsuccessful meeting with Trump - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for his loyalty to Donald Trump, is offering an "olive branch" to partners in the EU. This move comes amid rumors of his meeting with Trump, which reportedly did not meet Fico's expectations.
Slovak leader Robert Fico, whose allegiance to Donald Trump and constant conflicts with European Union institutions define his premiership, is offering an "olive branch" to EU partners. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
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A two-hour meeting in Paris between Fico and French President Emmanuel Macron was the latest signal that the Slovak leader is seeking to rebuild bridges with countries in the 27-member bloc, many of whom he previously disparaged as "war foot soldiers" for their military aid to Ukraine.
This turnaround comes amid increasingly belligerent rhetoric from Trump towards European allies, which has soured relations with far-right and populist movements in Europe that once looked to the US president as a role model.
For Fico, this move was accompanied by rumors of a mid-January meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, which was part of the Slovak leader's efforts to establish ties with Washington. Political allies in Bratislava, as well as the media, reported that this meeting greatly shook Fico, who denied these reports, calling them "lies."
As the publication notes, Macron, at least, tried to present the visit to Paris as a structural change, calling it a "strategic awakening" in a social media post in Slovak. He praised cooperation in the areas of energy, defense, and "the protection of our democracies" — a point that has been a subject of dispute between Bratislava and the EU, which expressed concerns about the rule of law after Fico's return to power in 2023.
Fico also noted the friendly atmosphere of the meeting. At the same time, while acknowledging that views on the war in Ukraine remain far apart, he expressed support for cooperation aimed at achieving a "stronger, more independent, and sovereign EU."
The change in tone came after Europeans across the political spectrum condemned Trump's threats to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and his willingness to use military force to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro this month.
Politico reported this week that Fico expressed shock at Trump's condition during a meeting of EU leaders on January 22 in Brussels, following a meeting in Florida. The Slovak leader called the report baseless.
"No one heard anything, no one saw anything, there are no witnesses," he said on Wednesday on X.
But even before this report emerged, it was becoming increasingly clear that Fico's January 17 meeting with Trump was not the public relations success the Slovak leadership had hoped for. Trump and his team did not confirm or comment on the meeting, despite the promise of a 15 billion euro ($17.9 billion) deal with the US.
A week later, Slovak nationalist Andrej Danko, Fico's coalition partner, said the prime minister "was confused" after his visit to Mar-a-Lago and reacted by requesting a bilateral meeting with Macron.
Fico replied that he had not discussed this with Danko and did not know where the nationalist got this information.
Beyond relations with Washington, the sharp change in attitude towards Trump and his MAGA movement has been reflected in public opinion polls. Among Fico's voters, the US president's popularity fell to 16% compared to 61% last year, according to an Ipsos poll for the media outlet Dennik N.
This trend is unlikely to go unnoticed by the Eastern European leader, who has built his political brand on nationalist support. Additionally, Fico this week declined an invitation to join Trump's Peace Council project, as did other EU leaders who viewed it as a challenge to the United Nations.
"We cannot replace international law and the UN with new institutions just because we think something is not functioning correctly," Fico said.
Political changes across Europe may also alter Fico's calculations. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally and key figure in the populist resistance within the EU, is significantly trailing the opposition in polls three months before elections.
The publication emphasizes that if Orbán loses the elections, Fico will remain vulnerable. In neighboring Czechia, the return to power of billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has provided another potential ally. But while Babiš has criticized EU policies on migration and climate, he has shown a tendency towards practicality that was lacking in Budapest and Bratislava.