‘2023 was not a good year for national and ethnic minorities, and 2024 is unlikely to be either. While there were numerous advances during the 1990s, we have been recently witnessing a clear regression.’

Regardless of the eventual shape of Slovakia’s official foreign policy, the potential dominance of pro-Kremlin figures in the new government should not be overlooked in NATO’s eastern flank. It is a development that warrants the West’s vigilance and concern.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine not only opened a new era in geopolitics but also affected the political framework for the protection of national minorities.