MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Russia strongly condemns the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and hopes that he will recover, Russian presidential press secretary said.
"Naturally, we strongly condemn this attack and consider it absolutely unacceptable. Indeed, t is a big tragedy. We hope that Mr. Fico will get over this situation and recover. We wish him the soonest recovery," he said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.
He recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sent a telegram to express his support for the Slovak prime minister and wished him the soonest recovery.
Fico was wounded in a shooting incident that happened after a government meeting in the city of Handlova in the western part of Slovakia. He was hospitalized in a serious condition, with wounds in a limb, the chest and abdomen. According to Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba, Fico is in very serious condition.
The shooter was detained. According to the Slovak mass media, the assailant was identified as a 71-year-old writer Juraj Cintula, who carried out the assassination attempt on Fico over disagreed with the government’s policy.
Many foreign leaders and high-ranking officials have condemned the attack and expressed their support for the Slovak prime minister.
Fico adheres to a principled position on Ukraine, advocating an immediate ceasefire and peace talks. His government, which took office in October 2023, has halted military supplies to Kiev, but provides humanitarian assistance. The prime minister speaks out for normalizing relations with Russia.