President Putin And Zelensky Compact On PM Fico's Shooting As Slovakia TURNed From Ukraine To Russia

Slovak PM Robert Fico. (Wikimedia Commons/EU2016 SK)

JAKARTA - A number of heads of state, heads of government, and officials of international organizations condemned the shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President Putin called the assassination attempt against PM Fico a "terrible crime."

"There is no justification for this horrific crime," President Putin said in a message sent to Slovak President Zuzana Caputova.

The Russian leader also said he knew PM Fico as "a brave and strong-willed man," a quality President Putin hopes will help Fico overcome this "difficult situation."

PM Fico won his term as Slovakia's prime minister for the third time last October. In his campaign, he criticized Western support for Ukraine.

He promised to immediately end Slovakia's military support for Ukraine and block Ukraine's NATO ambitions, a move that would reverse Slovakia's strong support for Ukraine.

Ahead of the election, Fico did not keep his sympathy for the Kremlin a secret and blamed "Ukraine raids and fascists" who provoked Vladimir Putin to launch an invasion. In January, he stopped military aid to Ukraine.

Responding to the shooting, Ukrainian President Zelensky said he condemned acts of violence against what he called "the head of government for neighboring countries as well as our partners".

"The attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is terrible. We strongly condemn acts of violence against the head of state government, our neighboring partners. All efforts must be made to ensure that violence is not a norm in any country, in any form, and in any field. We really hope that Robert Fico will recover soon and express our solidarity with the Slovak people," President Zelensky tweeted. X.

Apart from President Putin and Zelensky, criticism of PM Fico's shootings also came from various countries and international organizations.

In Europe, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen both criticized the shooting and prayed for PM Fico's recovery.

"Surprised and shocked by the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico. I hope he has the power to recover quickly. My thoughts are on Robert Fico, his loved ones, and the Slovak people," NATO Secretary General tweeted on X.

"I strongly condemn the heinous attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our society and weaken democracy, the common good of our most valuable. My thoughts are on PM Fico, his family," von der Leyen wrote on X.

The same support and prayers were also conveyed by his fellow prime minister from Hungary, Italy and Spain.

"I was very surprised by the heinous attack on my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico. We pray for his health and rapid recovery! God bless him and his country!" Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote in a post on X.

"I am very surprised to learn the news of a coward attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. All my thoughts are on him, his family, and friendly Slovaks," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement from her office.

"Don't be angry at the attack on Slovak Prime Minister. Spain supports Robert Fico, his family and the Slovak people in this very difficult time. No one can justify violence," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted in a post on X.

Robert Fico previously served as Prime Minister of Slovakia in two separate periods, 2006-2010 and 2012-2018. He was forced to resign in March 2018 after weeks of mass protesting over the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fianc, Martina Kuhubun