Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome to our press conference after the mutual meeting of the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, and the Secretary of State of the U.S., Marco Rubio. So, Prime Minister, please, you have the floor.
Thank you. Dear Secretary of State, dear Marco Rubio, please allow me to welcome you once again — you and your whole delegation — to Bratislava and our office of the Government of the Slovak Republic. Dear ladies, dear gentlemen, we had a shared, short tête-à-tête meeting with the Secretary of State, and then we had a delegations' discussion where we went into details, where we discussed topics that are the point of our meeting today. I'll try to briefly sum up the conclusions of our discussions, be it in four-eyes format or, let's say, in our meeting of delegations.
First of all, I deeply appreciate the fact that this visit comes quickly after our meeting in Florida, where I had a chance to speak with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, with Mr. Rubio being present. So, it's a great follow-up and a great country, a great nation. And after a short while when we met in Florida, we could discuss how much we achieved during those few weeks about the topics we discussed. And the most important thing about today's meeting, dear Secretary of State, I consider the following thing, and that is our mutual respect.
I mentioned that I am a representative of a government that wants to conduct a sovereign Slovak foreign policy in all four corners of the world, and I also underlined the fact that my crucial priority is not to defend the national and state interests of others, but that my basic obligation is to protect the national and state interests of the Slovak Republic. And I believe it's the correct understanding that anywhere where our interests meet we act as allies, and in areas where we have different opinions we have to negotiate and find a suitable solution. I think I am one of the politicians who are sincere in our discussions, and I do everything possible to speak what I say in private meetings and also say the same things in public. So let me allow — allow me to say a few conclusions based on our agreement with the Secretary of State.
Slovakia cares about our cooperation with the U.S. in the area of nuclear energy. On the thirteenth of February, the intergovernmental agreement went into force — the agreement between Slovakia and the U.S. regarding cooperation in the area of nuclear energy. I informed the Secretary of State about the current status of things. We are greatly, deeply interested, under the auspices of a U.S. partner, to create a multinational consortium which would guarantee the fact that Slovakia could build another nuclear block until 2040 with the power of 1,200 megawatts. And we'd be happy if it would be possible to sign specific agreements with Westinghouse in the span of the following year.
And I also asked our American partners regarding cooperation in those different levels of preparation of this project, because it's a project that goes above Slovakia. It concerns the whole European Union, and because of that we will have to have intensive discussions with our European partners. And because of that, we need the cooperation and help of our American partners. When we were speaking about energy, I also informed the Secretary of State about what is going on in this region regarding gas and oil. I'm not going too deep, or I will not get into details, but I can state that Slovakia, as a country that has always been at the beginning of any pipeline, be it gas or oil, ended up at their end. We're truly in a not so good situation because of ideological and bad decisions of the European Union. I am mentioning REPowerEU, which stops the flow of any sort of gas from East to Europe, and in our case from the 1st of November 2027.
Together we are looking for potential alternatives and solutions, and I believe that tomorrow's meeting with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, can show us a solution to this crisis situation that is ongoing in relation to supplies of oil and gas to refineries under the control of the Hungarian company MOL. Thirdly, of course, is related to the war in Ukraine. In this regard, Slovakia has its unique and unrepeatable positions that do not always reflect the positions of our European partners in the EU, but that's our openness and directness. And as the implementation of a sovereign foreign policy in all four corners of the world, I clearly and openly told my opinion to the Secretary of State about how we perceive the military conflict, and we think it is going to continue for a certain period of time. We see no peace solutions in a short period of time — short.
And I offered Slovakia as a country which understands the language in Ukraine and the Russian Federation, as a country which has good intelligence services, as a country which is a neighbor of Ukraine, to exchange opinions about this topic. And dear Secretary, I want to praise the approach of your president, because it's an approach of a person who is pragmatic and rational and wants to end this war as soon as possible. We also consider it as senseless, pointless, and if Slovakia can be of help in any peace initiatives that could bring this war to an end, we're totally ready for it.
Dear ladies, dear gentlemen, I would like to inform you that from the 1st of July 2026, Slovakia will chair the presidency of a really unique structure of regional cooperation, and that is V4, the Visegrad Group. I would like to confirm the words of the Secretary of State that this organization should be used not only for regional cooperation, but we should think of inviting partners which, in regard to our current topics, may be relevant. We spoke about this briefly. If, after the 1st of July 2026, we will have a topic where it would be of use to have the U.S. join the V4 and the partners in V4 would agree on this, we will be ready to organize such an event. I say this in the name of Slovakia: V4 plus the U.S. and basic questions of international cooperation, energy cooperation — we are interested in this.
Of course, we also exchanged opinions about lots of different topics, and I would like to just add that we are a member state of NATO. We are partners in the North Atlantic Alliance, and we understand the stance of the U.S. that Europe has to take care of its security more. And I think it's clear that in Europe we speak about increasing expenditures on our defense as a natural development of things, and because of that, we spoke about a topic in regards to how to continue with our budgets. Perhaps in the following years we, of course, have to take care and we have to pay attention to our obligations; but if Slovakia wants to be a member of collective security in Europe and NATO, we have to participate also in improving and strengthening our capacities.
I would like to ask for understanding in the area of the fact that we want to do projects of dual use based on military budgets. For example, a good example is a military hospital which is being built in the eastern part of Slovakia near the Ukraine border. We'll continue our military cooperation. You know that we procured fighter jets, F-16s, from the U.S. There's an interest to increase the numbers to 18 fighter jets, and now we're discussing the topic about how to get four more of the planes to our armed forces, because it's not a good sign of sovereignty that our airspace is protected by planes of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. We got into this sad situation because our military equipment was gifted to Ukraine from 2022 to 2023. There are lots of different aspects of military cooperation because we are in NATO together. And also the vice prime minister and minister of defense mentioned this, Mr. Kalinák, to the Secretary of State. Also, other members of the delegation from the Slovak side participated; also the minister of environment; the vice prime minister, minister of economy, which is responsible for cooperation in the area of economy; also the partner of the Secretary of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Blanár.
So again, Secretary of State, please welcome to Slovakia. I think our discussion was open. Nobody tried to hide anything, and I think you've heard opinions that you don't hear elsewhere, I guess, especially in relation to the war in Ukraine. That's why we're here. We are not here to lie to our partners or to mislead them about information that are not based on objective facts. Thank you for coming, and we are looking forward to further cooperation.
Thank you, Prime Minister. Secretary of State of the U.S., please.
First of all, thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for welcoming us. This is a follow-up, as you said, to a meeting we had not too long ago in Florida, in my home state, with the President of the United States. And in the aftermath of that meeting, we discussed some things during that meeting regarding specific purchase of airplanes or some impediments to it. We were able to resolve those, and we're happy that that got resolved because it's an example of how this direct engagement could lead to more things we can achieve together. In fact, that meeting happened the day after a deal was signed with Westinghouse and with our Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, to lay the groundwork for this energy opportunity, which is so incredible. I use these things only to illustrate the importance of this direct engagement. We both have excellent teams, and people have worked very hard and communicate all the time, but there is no replacement for that direct level of engagement. And engagement in Central Europe is what you can expect to see more of from the United States of America.
Mr. Prime Minister, you mentioned that the Visegrad Group, the V4. It is something we are eager to engage with as a forum in which we can find areas where we can work together and achieve cooperation. You mentioned something else which I don't know why it ever became controversial, but it's important to remind everybody of. It is the view of the President of the United States, President Trump, and of the United States under his presidency, that we expect every country in the world — we expect every country in the world — to act in their national interest. That is what countries are supposed to do. That is what the leaders of the countries — I don't know why that is like a strange consideration. The fact of the matter is we view policy the exact same way.
Now, when our national interests are aligned — when the national interest of the United States, for example, and the national interest of Slovakia are aligned — this is an extraordinary opportunity for cooperation and for partnership. Where there might be some misalignment, well, that's where the relationship comes in. That's where the partnership comes in. That's where we try to accommodate one another and find a way forward. There is nothing controversial about that, at least not as long as President Trump is in the White House. And we believe that within the area of common alignment there are so many things we can work on together that are good for your country, good for our country, but frankly good for Europe and good for the world.
I also appreciate your input with regards to the war in Ukraine. It is important that we take as many viewpoints. Your viewpoint and the viewpoint that you've expressed both to me and publicly as well is one that's informed by both your geography and by your history, and it's a very important point of view to take into account in the broader context. As I said yesterday in response to some questions in Munich, we view the United States' role as one of trying to facilitate an end to a very deadly, very bloody, very costly war with horrible suffering. What's happening in Kyiv right now is horrifying — people in the coldest part of the year going without electricity, energy. There is nothing positive about that. The death, regardless of what the numbers are on both sides, is way too high. And the President has spent a year at the highest levels of our government trying to find whether we can be facilitators of a negotiated end to this terrible conflict. And it is something that we care about, but it is something you live next door to. You're on the border. You're right there. You face — and not only do you have to face the consequences of the war, but you also have to face the benefits or the consequences of the peace. And so we appreciate your input in that regard.
We talked about a lot of things we have an opportunity to work together on. Energy is one of them. I think you have an opportunity as a nation, not just because you can generate energy, to also be in a very advantageous role when it comes to new technologies like artificial intelligence, as an example. It's an opportunity there. It's a very energy-dependent industry, and so it's something we can work together on. We're always talking about military sales, and this is important. We're very happy that the F-16 program is your program of choice. We hope you'll consider some others as well that we can work together on, because apart from — one of the key components of any country's national interest is the ability to protect their people. There is no more important — there is no more important obligation of any government than the ability to protect your own people and your own nation.
This is why, by the way, we talk about the importance of our partners having capabilities in NATO. Every time we say this, people, they go crazy. They think, oh, that means you're going to abandon NATO, you're going to abandon your allies. I think the point we're making is that the stronger our allies are, the stronger we are collectively. The stronger we are collectively. And so we want to be — we want to play a positive role in that regard, and you're doing many good things in that space, and we want to thank you and want to continue to work with you on that.
So there are many things that we have an opportunity to work together on, but first, thank you for receiving me here on a Sunday. And I try never to burden people on Sundays. It's an important day for me because of my faith, and I know for many of you as well. But it was — but I thank you for opening this space to us on this day because we wanted to show, and we are showing, and we are going to show in the weeks and months and years to come that under President Trump this administration is going to make not just Slovakia but Central Europe a key component of how we engage the continent and the world, and that we are not just going to engage in meetings and pleasantries but in concrete actions that we will take together in ways that are beneficial to your people and our people, in ways that are beneficial to your country and our country.
I'm very excited about this opportunity. I know the President is as well. That's why I'm here. When did we meet? It wasn't too long ago. It was just a few weeks ago.
A few weeks, and here we are. So — and we'll be back, and we'll be sending others back, and I think some members of your team are going to be coming to Washington this week to have a conversation. So, you're going to get used to seeing us, and you're going to get used to dealing with us, because we're very happy to be here and we look forward to working with you very closely.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Now there's some space for questions. Please, first question, Slovak TV.
Katarina Chovancakova, Slovak Television and Radio. Dear Secretary of State, the U.S. last week gave the command of NATO to European countries, and there are some words about American soldiers leaving Europe. Some say that NATO is dead. What is the stance of U.S.-NATO and regarding cooperation of the U.S. and Slovakia? Dear Prime Minister, did you also mention the defense cooperation agreement? Prime Minister, you criticized this. You wanted to cancel it, then you allowed for some changes. Did you mention this topic?
You want me to go first? Okay. On — yeah, I don't understand. The United States has thousands and thousands of troops deployed to the NATO mission. And we've made very clear — I think it was made very clear at the summit just a few days ago at the meeting at the defense minister level — we're not leaving NATO. We're not leaving — I mean, we may move a couple thousand troops from one country to another, but this has always been the case. This has always happened. By the way, we are not threatened or feel that it's hostile to see NATO grow in its own capabilities — not independent of the United States, in conjunction with the United States. We don't think it's a negative thing that other countries have more influence in NATO, other partner nations have more influence in NATO, or that other countries within NATO have more capability. We view that as a positive.
I see it reported yesterday in some places, oh, the Europeans are very upset, they're going to be less dependent on America now. We never — we don't want Europe to be dependent on — we're not asking Europe to be a vassal of the United States. We want to be your partner. We want to work with Europe. We want to work with our allies. We want to work in cooperation with you. And our point has been and continues to be: the stronger you are both on an individual basis in terms of countries and collectively as an alliance, the stronger the members of NATO are, the stronger NATO is. That's not minus the United States. That's just common sense, okay? If you have an alliance made up of countries, the stronger all those members are, the stronger the alliance is. And we want the alliance to be so strong that no one will ever, ever dare test it, no one will ever dare challenge it. So, we welcome any measures that are taken to strengthen the alliance by the individual members, and we see that as a very positive thing.
I would just like to mention the question you're asking on the agenda was not on our schedule. But nonetheless, the minister of defense and vice prime minister will tell you more about those discussions, but today it was not a part of our discussion.
Thank you very much. Now the second question, Washington Post.
Thanks very much. Mr. Secretary, will the Trump administration consult and inform Congress in advance if it decides to attack Iran or remove the Supreme Leader? It's a question on the minds of many given the major potential consequences of a new war in the Middle East. And also, five European countries issued a joint statement saying Alexei Navalny was most likely poisoned by a toxin found in South America, a South American frog. How come the United States didn't join the statement? Any response to it?
Then, Mr. Prime Minister —
Sorry to interrupt. Thank you for your hospitality. On Venezuela, you strongly opposed America's removal of Maduro by force, saying it demonstrates a deepening breakdown of the international order. Do you still feel that way given where we're at now? And also, you've denied saying that you were worried about President Trump's psychological state following your meeting with him in Mar-a-Lago. Can you explain how this was potentially misinterpreted?
Let me go first on your — I'm not going to talk about attacks on Iran or anything of that nature, because the President's made clear he prefers diplomacy and an outcome of negotiated settlement. Now, we're dealing with radical Shia clerics, okay? We're dealing with people who make geopolitical decisions on the basis of pure theology, and it's a complicated thing. I mean, no one's ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran, but we're going to try. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be traveling — I think they're traveling right now — to have important meetings, and we'll see how that turns out. And we'll always comply with the applicable laws of the United States in terms of involving Congress in any decisions. But right now, we're not talking about any of that. We are postured in the region for one simple reason, and that is we understand that there could be threats to our forces in the region. We've seen them be threatened in the past, and we want to make sure that we have sufficient capacity to defend them if, God forbid, that were to happen.
We'll follow whatever the law is on it, and it depends on the circumstance it would lead to. But right now, we're talking about negotiations. We are focused on negotiations. That's what we're — the President's made that clear. If that changes, it'll be obvious to everyone. And obviously, whatever the law requires us to do, we'll do.
With regards to your question about the frog toxin — no, it's a very serious thing. Look, those countries came to that conclusion. They coordinated that. We chose — it doesn't mean we disagree with the outcome. We just — it wasn't our endeavor. Sometimes countries go out and do their thing based on the intelligence they have gathered. We obviously are aware of the report. It's a troubling report. We're aware of that case of Mr. Navalny, and certainly it's — we don't have any reason to question it, or we're not disputing or getting into a fight with these countries over it. But it was their report, and they put that out there.
And let me just make one more point, because I think you asked him a question in order to, like, see if you can get him against us with something about, oh, you criticized — a lot of countries didn't like what we did in Venezuela. That's okay. That was in our national interest. I'm sure there's something he'll do one day that we don't like, and we'll say, hey, we didn't like you did this. So what? That doesn't mean we're not going to be friends, we're not going to be partners, we're not going to be able to cooperate with one another. Countries express their opinion all the time. We have very close allies that didn't like what we did in that regard. I can tell you what, it was successful. We're proud of it. It was necessary because the guy was a narcoterrorist, and we made him a bunch of offers, and he chose to throw them under. And look what's happened in Venezuela in the six weeks since he's been gone, okay? It is a — now, it's got a long way to go. There's still much work that needs to be done. But I can tell you Venezuela is much better off today than it was six weeks ago, so we're very proud of that project. And I know some will disagree and didn't like, but irrespective, I think everyone can now agree that Venezuela has an opportunity at a new future that wasn't there six weeks ago.
