BERLIN — As Slovakia's election winner Robert Fico begins talks to establish a coalition government, officials in the European Union and NATO — along with people throughout Slovakia's civil society — are worried about how Fico's pro-Russian, anti-American Smer ("Direction" in Slovak) party may govern.
Fico — who's previously served twice as prime minister — campaigned on ceasing all military support for Ukraine, with the slogan "Not a single round" becoming a popular refrain of his party. He repeatedly urged Kyiv to begin peace negotiations with Moscow and claimed the United States played a role in starting the war.
