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According to a top Slovak official, Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to recover after he was shot multiple times on Wednesday. Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba told the public, “I guess in the end he will survive. He’s not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.” 

Authorities have detained a 71-year-old man in connection with the shooting. The suspect, who used a legally obtained firearm, is believed to have acted independently. President Peter Pellegrini called the attack an “assassination attempt,” emphasizing the serious threat it poses to the country’s democratic principles. Pellegrini stated, “If we express different political opinions with guns in the squares, and not in polling stations, we endanger everything we have built together in 31 years of Slovak sovereignty.”

The incident took place following a Cabinet meeting in the Trenčín region. Fico sustained injuries to his abdomen and underwent immediate medical treatment to stabilize his condition, as reported by Defense Minister Robert Kalina.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok confirmed that the suspect did not belong to any political groups. In response to the incident, President Biden expressed his concern, saying, “We condemn this horrific act of violence. Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist.”

Fico, known as Slovakia’s longest-serving prime minister, resumed office last year with a platform favoring pro-Russian and anti-American policies, raising concerns among European Union members about Slovakia’s political direction.