One of Donald Trump’s key European allies has said the US President’s state of mind is ‘dangerous’ and raised other worries about his mental state.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico met with Trump last week, and five diplomats have come forward to share details of the meeting.
The diplomats, who remained anonymous over privacy concerns, said Fico used the word ‘dangerous ‘ when describing how Trump spoke to him at Mar-a-Lago last week, according to Politico.
Fico brought up what he saw as a worrying turn in his US ally during a meeting in Brussels on January 22, as European officials met to counter Trump’s mounting threats to take over Greenland.
Though FIco didn’t raise worries about Trump’s mental state in an official meeting, it’s understood he seemed concerned when speaking to other EU politicians.
Fico’s comments have garnered attention because he’s one of Trump’s number one supporters in Europe, frequently praising the President and aligning with him on a number of controversial issues.
The White House immediately slammed his comments as ‘fake news’.
Anna Kelly, White House spokeswoman, told Politico: ‘This is absolutely total fake news from anonymous European diplomats who are trying to be relevant. The meeting at Mar-a-Lago was positive and productive.’
Fico’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago was not an official one, it’s understood, but was attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Slovakia’s Foreign Minister.
Afterwards, Fico said he and Trump were in ‘complete agreement’ about thinking the European Union was in ‘deep crisis’.
In 2024, Fico was the target of an assassination attempt, being shot five times and in serious condition for weeks.
Fico previously served as the PM of Slovakia between 2006 to 2010, and from 2012 to 2018. He’s a part of the Direction – Social Democracy party, which he founded in 1999.
He resigned in 2018 amid public outcry over the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak.
Kuciak’s death, which implicated high-level corruption, sparked nationwide protests. Though he stepped down from the premiership, Fico remained influential within SMER-SD and Slovakian politics, continuing to shape the country’s political landscape.
Since returning to power, Fico formed a Eurosceptic three-party coalition which has sought close ties with the Kremlin, and has repeatedly pressured Ukraine to sign a peace treaty with Russia, causing friction amongst its allies in Nato.
He previously told public broadcaster RTVS: ‘There has to be some kind of compromise. What do they expect, that the Russians will leave Crimea, Donbas and Luhansk? That is unrealistic.’
In February, Fico shut down the country’s anti-corruption office, prompting widespread street protests and warnings from Brussels about safeguarding the rule of law.
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