ATHENS

Slovakian Prime Minister Roberto Fico has reiterated his opposition to Ukraine's bid for NATO membership ahead of his visit to Kyiv next week, saying he will veto the move and describing Ukraine as one of the "most corrupt countries" in the world, with total "influence and control of the US."

Fico told public broadcaster RVTS on Saturday that "Ukraine is under the total influence and control of the United States."

He said he would visit Kyiv on Wednesday and meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal. “I will tell him that I am against the membership of Ukraine in NATO and that I will veto,” he said categorically.

Fico believed that "it would merely be a basis for World War 3, nothing else."

Ukraine officially submitted its application for fast-track NATO membership in Sept. 2022, following Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian provinces. However, NATO allies appear divided on the issue, with some arguing that adding a new member in the middle of a war is not a priority.

Moreover, the Slovakian premier maintained that there is no military solution to the war in Ukraine, which began in Feb. 2022.

“There has to be some kind of compromise, which will be very painful for both sides,” he added.

Fico also accused Ukraine of being "one of the world's most corrupt countries."