Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has crossed a line Brussels hoped no European leader would openly cross — and he has done so publicly.
In a sweeping and highly confrontational statement, Fico accused the European Union of suppressing free speech, manipulating democratic processes, enforcing double standards on energy policy, and dragging Europe into war without genuine democratic consent.
This was not a misstatement or an off-the-cuff remark.
It was a systemic accusation.
“You are not allowed to hold a different opinion in the EU”
Fico stated bluntly that freedom of expression within the EU is being steadily eroded.
“If you say you do not want to send money for weapons, you are immediately labelled as bad. You are marginalised and pushed aside.”
According to Fico, the EU’s handling of the war in Ukraine has had “nothing to do with democracy”, arguing that dissenting views were suppressed, pressure was applied behind closed doors, and alternative positions were treated as acts of disloyalty rather than legitimate political debate.
Foreign interference? “If it were Russia, I would already be in prison”
One of Fico’s most explosive claims concerned foreign funding and political influence in Slovakia.
He alleged that funding linked to the British government — specifically through channels associated with the UK Foreign Office — was directed towards political actors aligned with Slovakia’s progressive opposition.
He drew a stark comparison:
“If the Russian Foreign Ministry had paid activists in Slovakia to campaign for my party, I would already be sitting in prison.”
Fico confirmed that Slovakia has now introduced a new criminal provision prohibiting foreign state interference in parliamentary elections, describing the move as a necessary defence of national sovereignty.
Energy hypocrisy: “France buys Russian LNG — Slovakia is punished”
Fico also targeted what he described as the EU’s double standards on Russian energy.
He questioned the logic of restrictions on Russian gas, asking:
“What kind of nonsense is it that Slovakia cannot buy Russian gas, while Russia remains one of the largest LNG suppliers to countries such as France?”
He announced that Slovakia, together with Hungary, will take legal action against the European Commission over the gas ban, accusing Brussels of abusing qualified majority voting to bypass national veto rights.
“When the war ends, Western hypocrisy will be limitless”
Fico offered a stark geopolitical prediction, claiming that once the war in Ukraine ends, Western governments will rapidly reverse course.
“The moment the war ends, every Western country will rush back — and you will see hypocrisy on a scale you have never seen before.”
He also expressed alignment with Donald Trump’s worldview, stating that he agrees with Trump not because of style or diplomacy, but because Trump speaks in terms of power and reality rather than ideology.
EU dysfunction and political instability
Turning inward, Fico described the EU’s political model as increasingly dysfunctional, marked by fragile coalitions, constant internal disputes, and leaders trapped in crisis management rather than governance.
“You cannot permanently govern with five or six parties forced together. It creates paralysis, instability and chaos.”
Final warning: “Facts do not disappear because you ban them”
Fico concluded with a warning that struck at the heart of Brussels’ authority:
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are forbidden to be spoken.
Truth is the daughter of time.”
This is no longer quiet dissent or tactical resistance.
It is open defiance from a sitting EU prime minister.
From energy policy and war, to free speech and foreign interference, Robert Fico has declared that the European Union has crossed a line — and that Slovakia will no longer comply in silence.
The question now is not whether Brussels will respond.
The real question is how many other European leaders are thinking the same — and how long they will wait before saying it aloud.
