"Disgusting"

Assassination attempt on Fico: horror at home and abroad

Great horror after assassination attempt on Robert Fico(Bild: APA/AFP/JOHN THYS)

It is still uncertain what will happen to Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. Following the assassination attempt on him, the 59-year-old's life is in danger. There is great horror both in the Eastern European country itself and abroad.

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) wrote on the short message platform X (formerly Twitter): "The attempt on the life of my Slovakian colleague Robert Fico shocks me deeply. We spoke on the phone just a few days ago and discussed security issues in depth. I wish him a speedy and full recovery! Hate and violence must not be allowed to take hold in our democracies and must be combated with all determination!"

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) is "deeply shocked".(Bild: AP)

Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) wrote: "I strongly condemn the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and wish him a hopefully speedy recovery." 

Orbán: "Despicable attack against a friend"
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close political ally of Fico, also expressed his shock at the "despicable attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico" and assured him of his prayers.

Considered allies in the EU: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico(Bild: APA/AFP/JOHN THYS)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly condemned the attack: "I am deeply shocked by the news of the cowardly assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Fico," he wrote on X on Wednesday. "Violence must have no place in European politics. In these hours, my thoughts are with Robert Fico, his family and the citizens of Slovakia."

Great horror after assassination attempt on Robert Fico(Bild: APA/AFP/JOHN THYS)

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu also expressed their horror.

Von der Leyen: "Such acts of violence undermine democracy"
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the "heinous attack". "Such acts of violence have no place in our society and undermine democracy, our greatest common good," she wrote on X.

US President Joe Biden spoke of a "terrible act of violence". He and his wife Jill prayed for Fico's speedy recovery, Biden wrote in a statement released by the White House on Wednesday. "Our thoughts are with his family and the Slovakian people," it continued. 

Selenskyj and Putin condemn bloody deed
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack in the neighboring country in the strongest possible terms. "Every effort must be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, in any form or sphere", Selensky announced via X. Ukraine stands in solidarity with Slovakia and wishes Fico a speedy recovery. Russian President Vladimir Putin let it be known via Telegram: "Nothing can justify this heinous crime."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi demanded: "Every effort must be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, in any form or sphere."(Bild: Associated Press)

Slovakian president-designate warns
The Slovakian President-designate, Peter Pellegrini, has condemned the attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico as an "unprecedented threat to Slovakian democracy". "If we express other political opinions with guns in the squares and not in the polling stations, we are jeopardizing everything we have built together in the 31 years of Slovak independence," the Social Democrat politician warned on Wednesday.