Some Western politicians stoking Nato-Russia clash as Ukraine war strategy falters: Fico

Some Western politicians are seeking conflict between Nato and Russia after ⁠a “failed” strategy to defeat ⁠Moscow in its war with Ukraine, ⁠Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday.Long-time Slovak leader Fico, who has kept up warm relations with Russia and refuses military aid for Ukraine, said this week that Europe was closer than ever to a large-scale war ‌erupting from the Ukraine-war" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="3783" data-entity-type="event">Ukraine war.At the same time, some European leaders, such as those in France and Poland, have warned of Russian hybrid attacks.In his video message, Fico said, “we face a mortal danger” while watching the West “pour fuel on the fire” with its support for Ukraine, which he said had been to no avail.“The failure of the ⁠strategy to destroy Russia through the war in Ukraine has led some Western politicians to believe ‌that if the goal cannot be achieved through the Ukrainian army and full support for it, then every effort must be made to trigger a conflict ‌between Nato and Russia,” Fico said in the video posted on social media.He ⁠said the war ⁠in Ukraine was not Slovakia’s nor Nato’s war but said, “certain war hawks within Nato are trying, at any cost, to ‌turn this war into a conflict between Russia and Nato”.A police officer walks next to an explosive-disarming robot at Germany’s Leipzig airport last month after a drone was found near a runway. Photo: ReutersEarlier this week, Fico warned a drone incursion could spark the ‌activation of ‌Nato’s collective defence clause and he wanted to prevent Slovakia, which neighbours Ukraine and ‌is a member of the Nato military alliance, from becoming part of an armed conflict.He said on ⁠Saturday that creating a pretext to start a war was easy and reiterated Slovakia would ⁠not send soldiers to fight under a fabricated pretext.