Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Czech President Petr Pavel have traded criticism over NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense clause, exposing tensions over alliance commitments in Central Europe. Fico said he would do everything possible to prevent Slovakia from being drawn into a military conflict. But the Czech president said Article 5 entailed solidarity and mutual responsibility among NATO allies. Fico responded on social media by accusing Pavel, a former senior NATO general, of favoring confrontation and reiterated his opposition to Slovakia entering a war. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini urged caution, saying Bratislava must not cast doubt on its NATO obligations. The dispute comes ahead of Slovakia’s October 24 local and regional elections and amid a debate in the Czech Republic over defense spending, expected to remain below 2% of GDP this year. Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in May during Victory Day commemorations there, even though the event was shunned by most Western leaders.
