Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told EU leaders at a summit last week that a meeting with Donald Trump left him feeling shocked by the mental state of the U.S. president, five European diplomats familiar with the conversation told Politico, Lb.ua reported on January 28.
As Politico notes, Robert Fico — one of the few EU leaders who often supports Trump’s position on Europe’s “weaknesses” — was concerned about the “psychological state” of the U.S. president, two diplomats said. According to them, Fico used the word “dangerous” when describing his impression of the American president’s behavior during a personal meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on January 17.
Fico’s conversation with his European colleagues took place in Brussels on January 22 on the sidelines of an emergency EU summit convened to discuss transatlantic relations after Trump’s threats to seize Greenland. During that meeting, leaders sought to ease tensions after the U.S. president had backed away the previous day from a threat to impose tariffs on several European countries over the issue.
As diplomats noted, the Slovak prime minister made his remarks not during official roundtable discussions, but in a narrow informal circle of conversations among some leaders and heads of EU institutions.
At the same time, publicly after the meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Fico boasted about his meeting with the U.S. president in a Facebook video and expressed support for Washington’s approach to russia’s war against Ukraine. In the video, Fico did not mention Trump’s claims to Greenland or the operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in early January.
A year ago, Fico spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference and told Americans that “your president is doing Europe a great service”.
Fico’s representatives did not respond to numerous requests for comment.
White House press secretary Anna Kelly said: “This is absolutely fake news from anonymous European diplomats trying to attract attention. The meeting at Mar-a-Lago was positive and productive”.
A senior administration official who was present at Trump’s meeting with Fico and requested anonymity said he did not recall any awkward moments or strange remarks. According to him, the meeting, which was initiated by Fico, was pleasant, routine, and included several lighthearted moments captured by the White House photographer.
One European diplomat said that Fico appeared “traumatized” after the meeting with Trump. According to him, Fico described the U.S. president as someone who is “not in his right mind”.
Even without comments from Fico, European leaders and senior officials are increasingly concerned about the “unpredictability” of the U.S. president, another EU diplomat noted. Concerns about the health of the U.S. president are “quickly becoming an increasingly frequent topic of discussion at all levels”, said an EU official involved in political discussions in Brussels and between capitals.
Trump, who is 79, has repeatedly and sharply denied having any cognitive problems, telling New York Magazine this week that he does not suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.
Later, responding to the article, Fico wrote on the social network X that he “categorically rejects the lies of the hateful pro-Brussels liberal portal POLITICO”. According to him, such publications are an attempt by the outlet to undermine Slovakia’s “constructive relations” with the U.S.