Greek PM expresses shock at ‘heinous attack’ on Slovak leader

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has expressed his shock at the “heinous attack” on his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on Wednesday.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister was shot five times after a government meeting in the city of Handlova, in what the country’s Interior Ministry called an “assassination” attempt.

“Shocked by the heinous attack against the Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico. Such acts of violence have no place in our societies. I wish him a speedy recovery,” Mitsotakis said in a message posted on X.

According to Slovakia’s Interior Ministry, Fico is in a “life-threatening” condition following the attack. A government spokesperson said the PM had to be airlifted to a hospital in the city of Banská Bystrica. Fico has been undergoing surgery there.

Witnesses reported seeing security services detaining a man after the incident.

Other world leaders have also condemned the attack including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Fico is Slovakia’s longest-serving prime minister and was elected for a fourth term in 2023.

During a three-decade career, Fico has moved between the pro-European mainstream and nationalistic positions opposed to European Union and US policies. He has also shown a willingness to change course depending on public opinion or changed political realities.

Source: ABC News.