What does the near-fatal shooting of Robert Fico reveal about Slovakia’s growing ties with the BRICS Alliance?
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico survived an assassination attempt, leaving him temporarily in critical condition.
The attack, believed to be politically motivated, occurred shortly after an election victory by Fico’s ally, Peter Pellegrini.
As a staunch critic of Western policies and a proponent of Russian dialogue, Fico has significantly influenced Slovakia’s geopolitical stance, scaling back support for Ukraine and seeking closer ties with Russia.
The near-fatal shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico underscores the deep political and societal tensions within Slovakia, particularly regarding its shifting geopolitical alliances.
Fico’s tenure has marked a significant pivot towards fostering closer ties with the BRICS Alliance, notably through his pro-Russian stance and his government’s scaling back of support for Ukraine.
This alignment with BRICS, characterized by opposition to Western policies, is controversial in a nation historically aligned with NATO and the European Union.
The assassination attempt can be seen as a manifestation of the intense polarization and backlash against Fico’s foreign policy direction, revealing the fraught nature of Slovakia’s realignment towards the BRICS bloc amidst internal and external pressures.
