EU state’s leader compares Ukraine to grass in battle of elephants

Kiev has accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of “offensive rhetoric” over his comments

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has described Ukraine as “grass being trampled by elephants” as he warned Kiev that it will suffer for being part of the West’s “unsuccessful strategy to weaken Russia.”

Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that he will meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska on August 15 to discuss the possible settlement of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has not been invited to the talks.

Fico said in a video message on Facebook on Saturday that he is closely following the “fuss” surrounding the summit, while expressing hope that the Russian and US leaders can find “a meaningful solution” to the crisis.

However, Fico, who survived an assassination attempt by a pro-Ukraine activist last year over his opposition to arming Zelensky’s government, claimed that Kiev will nonetheless “pay dearly for the unsuccessful strategy of the West to weaken Russia by supporting the war in Ukraine.”

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“Do you remember the old African proverb that I love so much? Would you like me to repeat it? It does not matter if the elephants are fighting or having sex, the grass always suffers. No matter how the meeting of the elephants on August 15 turns out, the grass will suffer – in this case, it is Ukraine,” he said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reacted to Fico’s comments on Sunday, accusing him of resorting to “openly offensive rhetoric towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who are fighting… in the interests of the security of the whole of Europe.”

The Slovak leader responded in another Facebook post a few hours later, insisting that he has the right to say what he thinks.

Fico dismissed Kiev’s accusations, but noted that he understands the “tension and nervousness that must prevail in the political leadership of Ukraine” due to the upcoming talks between Putin and Trump.

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"The war in Ukraine has deformed freedom of speech in the EU. Any opinion other than a compulsory opinion is harshly criticized and condemned, even if it is based on objective information. I reject such deliberate deformation of fundamental rights,” Fico said.