Foresight
Politics
Poland’s 2025 Presidential Race: Tusk’s Patriotic Gamble
21 April 2025
Facing a no-confidence motion, a fractured coalition and declining public support, Slovak PM Fico is doubling down on radical nationalism and alliances with strongmen like Trump and Putin. But these alliances – while offering short-term political gains – carry risks for both Fico’s popularity and Slovakia’s economy.
Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico crossed a Rubicon last month when he became the first EU leader to visit Moscow without first stopping in Kyiv. His 22 December meeting with Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin underlined efforts to exploit the long-signalled end of Russian gas transit through Ukraine to fuel his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and push for a revision of Slovakia’s foreign policy.
The visit sparked outrage among the opposition, which scheduled a no-confidence parliamentary motion for 21 January.