Putin Is Gaining Allies in Europe at a Bad Time for Ukraine
The nationalist lurch in Slovakia, Austria and Croatia throws into question support for Kyiv just as Donald Trump seeks an end to the war.
Putin, right, with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico prior to talks in Moscow, on Dec. 22.
Photographer: Artem Geodakyan/AFP/Getty Images
When Slovakia became one of the first NATO countries to deliver military aid to Ukraine, its defense minister faced down criticism from opposition parties. What he didn’t expect was to be investigated for abuse of power, taking bribes — and treason.
Jaroslav Nad is the subject of five criminal complaints and an Interior Ministry probe a little over a year after Prime Minister Robert Fico returned to office on a campaign to halt weapons deliveries to Kyiv. “This is a purely political trial,” he said in an interview in Bratislava, reflecting on the possibility of jail time. “It won’t break me, though.”