Fico, who already was Prime Minister between 2006 and 2010 and again between 2012 and 2018, has promised to cut funding going towards Ukraine and begin peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Fico also promised to work in tandem with the Hungarian government, which could break Orbán’s isolation in his anti-Kyiv position within the EU. Fico was forced to step down in 2018 after the murder of Ján Kuciak, an investigating journalist looking into the connections between the Italian mafia and Fico’s inner circle. Smer, Fico’s party, obtained about a quarter of the votes, meaning that he would still need to make a collation to form a government. However, one thing is certain: Fico is back in power. Is European since Putin’ s sense concerning America influence in Europe ?