EU Braces for Slovakia’s Shift Toward Russia

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The EU may have to deal with additional resistance to its support of Ukraine now that Slovakia has elected Russia-friendly candidate Peter Pellegrini president. During the campaign, Pellegrini accused rival Ivan Korcok, who backs the government in Kyiv, of wanting to drag the country into war. Pellegrini’s win is also a boost to Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has irked allies since returning to power last year by declaring his intent to normalize ties with the Kremlin. Slovakia’s shift toward Moscow comes at a moment at which Ukraine’s US and European allies are struggling to maintain the flow of aid and Kyiv’s forces are increasingly outgunned by Russian troops.