NextFin news, On Monday, September 8, 2025, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Tibor Gašpar, vice president of the ruling Smer party and former head of the Slovak police, publicly compared Ukraine to the terrorist organization Hamas and claimed that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a "provoked aggression."
Gašpar made these remarks during a televised debate on the Slovak channel Markíza, where he confronted Michal Šimečka, leader of the progressive opposition. Gašpar asserted that, unlike Šimečka who described the invasion as an unjustified aggression, he considered it a provoked conflict. He further suggested that Kyiv bore some responsibility for the outbreak of war, a narrative increasingly echoed in Slovak public discourse since Prime Minister Robert Fico's return to power.
In his statement, Gašpar drew a parallel between the war in Ukraine and the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths. He said, "It is a provoked conflict, just like when Palestinian terrorists attacked Israel. That is how the war in Ukraine started." This comparison elicited a sharp rebuttal from Šimečka, who questioned the logic of accusing Ukrainians of invading Russia and killing civilians.
Gašpar's comments align with the pro-Russian rhetoric of the Slovak government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has repeatedly described the invasion as a violation of international law but also suggested the conflict was provoked. Gašpar has also indicated that Slovakia's exit from the European Union could be considered in extreme circumstances, a stance that has sparked protests under the slogan "Slovakia is Europe."
The controversy surrounding Gašpar's remarks reflects a broader political shift in Central Europe, where some populist parties are adopting narratives sympathetic to Moscow. The statements risk straining Slovakia's relations with Western partners at a time when European unity in support of Ukraine remains critical.
These developments were reported by adevarul.ro on Monday, September 8, 2025.
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