Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday that members of his Direction – Social Democracy party would not support Ukraine's possible accession to NATO in the parliament as long as he leads the Slovak government.
"NATO membership is not obtained in such a way that some group of people will come and say, "You will be there." The ratification by each country is necessary. As long as I am the head of the Slovak government ... I will lead the members of parliament who are under my political control so that they never agree to Ukraine's membership in NATO, because this is a ground for the outbreak of World War III," Fico told the Slovak Television and Radio broadcaster.
The prime minister noted that Slovakia supports Ukraine's aspirations concerning its possible accession to the European Union, adding that Kiev would have to comply with a wide range of conditions to join the bloc and the process may take years.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. Recalling Russia's position on the issue, the minister ruled out Kiev's accession to the North Atlantic alliance, stressing that it was impossible.