Fico says Slovakia must not be drawn into war ‘because of some Article 5’

"The situation has never been so serious and tense when it comes to the possibility of a Europe-wide conflict," Fico said in a video posted on Facebook.

Fico questioned what invoking Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which considers an armed attack against one member an attack against all, could mean for Slovakia.

"Can you imagine, ladies and gentlemen, if Article 5 of the NATO treaty were invoked? Can anyone imagine that we would be told: prepare 5,000 soldiers, 10,000 soldiers, and they will go somewhere to fight? And we wouldn't even know whom, why or what for," Fico said.

"I do not want Slovakia to be part of some military conflict because of some Article 5," he added.

At the same time, Fico stressed that Slovakia valued its NATO membership and cooperation within the alliance.

"Yes, we are part of NATO, we value it, we care about cooperation and fulfilling our commitments," he said. "But as prime minister, I will do everything to ensure that Slovakia is never drawn into a military conflict."

Fico also described a scenario in which a drone could intentionally or accidentally enter the territory of a NATO member, strike a residential building and kill civilians.

"That's all it takes, and we have it here," he said, adding that Europe was "on the edge."

His comments came as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that intelligence assessments suggested Russia could carry out drone or missile strikes against NATO countries supporting Ukraine and portray them as accidental.

Tusk said such incidents could be intended to undermine NATO members' willingness to respond to aggression and create the impression that the alliance's Article 5 collective defense guarantee was "only theoretical, not practical."

Fico announced that he would travel to Ukraine on Sept. 18. The Slovak government later confirmed that he would attend a conference alongside prime ministers from other EU countries.