French president Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday joined leaders from around the world in condemning the gun attack that left the Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico fighting for his life.
Fico, 59, was shot several times as he mingled with a small group of people during a visit to Handlova nearly 200 km to the north-east of the capital Bratislava.
He was transported by helicopter to nearby Banska Bystrica for urgent treatment, the government office said. A man has been arrested in connection with the shooting, it added.
Macron said he was shocked by the assault.
"I strongly condemn this attack," he said on social media. "My thoughts and solidarity are with him, his family and the people of Slovakia."
Choqué par les tirs qui ont frappé le Premier ministre slovaque Robert Fico. Je condamne fermement cette attaque. Mes pensées et ma solidarité vont vers lui, sa famille et le peuple slovaque.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 15, 2024
'Heinous attack'
"I am shocked, we are all shocked by the terrible and heinous attack," said Slovakia's outgoing president Zuzana Caputova.
The country's president-elect and Fico ally Peter Pellegrini said he learned of the shooting "with horror".
"An assassination attempt on one of the highest constitutional officials is an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy," he said on social media.
Both the Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Joe Biden offered messages of support.
Biden called the assault a horrific attack and said he and First Lady Jill Biden were praying for a swift recovery.
Putin described the shooting as a heinous crime. "I know Robert Fico to be a courageous and strong-spirited man," he said in a statement released by the Kremlin.
"I very much hope that these qualities will help him to withstand this difficult situation."
Fico, whose Smer-SD party won the general election last September, is a four-time prime minister and a political veteran accused of swaying his country's foreign policy in favour of the Kremlin.
As well as his current stint as premier, Fico also headed the government in 2006-10 and 2012-18.
Since he assumed office last October, Fico has made a string of remarks that have soured ties between Slovakia and neighbouring Ukraine.
He has notably questioned Ukraine's sovereignty and called for a compromise with Russia, which invaded in 2022.
Change
After he was elected, Slovakia stopped sending weapons to Ukraine. He pledged during the electoral campaign not to provide Kyiv with "a single bullet".
Despite the stance, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was among the first to send a message of solidarity.
"We strongly condemn this act of violence," said Zelensky. "Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country.
Fico also sparked mass protests with controversial changes, including a media law that critics say will undermine the impartiality of public television and radio.
But as the veteran politician lay in a hospital bed battling for survival, one of the MPs from Fico's party hit out at his critics.
"You, the liberal media, and progressive politicians are to blame," said Lubos Blaha. "Robert Fico is fighting for his life because of your hatred."
Other politicians were less partisan. "I hope the prime minister will get well as soon as possible," said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. "We must not tolerate violence, it must have no place in society," he said on social media.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: "Robert, my thoughts are with you in this very difficult moment."
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, said: "Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our most precious common good. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family."
The shooting in Slovakia came three weeks ahead of crucial European Parliament elections, in which populist and hard-right parties in the 27-nation bloc appear poised to make gains.
