Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša accused the United Nations of applying double standards to global conflicts and revealed that President Trump has promised to visit his country, the homeland of First Lady Melania Trump.
Janša, a right-wing leader who heads Slovenia's Democratic Party, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. He argued that the international body's overwhelming focus on the war in Gaza has come at the expense of other humanitarian crises, most notably Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, which sits far closer to Slovenia's borders than the Middle East.
"We have to get rid of double standards," Janša said. He pointed to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and the broader strategic threat posed by Iran as issues that receive far less attention from the General Assembly than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Janša is scheduled to address the full Assembly on Thursday.
The Slovenian prime minister did not limit his criticism to the UN itself. He singled out Ireland and Spain as European governments that apply inconsistent standards, pressing hard on the Palestinian issue while, in his view, failing to take a similarly firm line on Iran, a regime he described as strategically linked to Russia and central to instability across the Middle East.
Janša went further, arguing that some European leaders have seized on the Palestinian cause not out of principle but out of political convenience. He contended that leaders facing domestic economic trouble and approaching elections used the issue to divert public attention from problems at home.
That framing carries particular weight given what happened under Slovenia's previous government. Former Prime Minister Robert Golob's administration recognized Palestinian statehood in June 2024 and imposed an arms embargo on Israel in July 2025. Golob's government defended both moves as necessary to protect Palestinian civilians and uphold international law.
Janša has moved in the opposite direction since returning to power. His government has sought to restore what he described as traditionally good relations with Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar recently visited Slovenia for talks aimed at expanding political and economic cooperation, and earlier this month Israel opened its first resident embassy in the country. The two nations also signed a cooperation program covering education, science, culture, youth, and sports through 2030.
Janša told Fox News Digital that he spoke briefly with President Trump and extended an invitation to visit Slovenia. Trump accepted, at least in principle.
"He promised he'll come."
No timeframe or conditions for the trip were disclosed. But a presidential visit to Slovenia would carry obvious personal significance. Melania Trump was born there in 1970 and grew up in the town of Sevnica. She is the nation's second foreign-born first lady in American history.
Janša also praised Melania Trump's work on initiatives for children, though he did not specify which programs he was referring to. He noted that his wife met the First Lady for the first time on Tuesday during events surrounding the General Assembly.
On the broader question of Middle East peace, Janša argued that no lasting resolution is possible without political change in Tehran. He said he has supported the Iranian opposition for decades and views the regime as the connective thread linking Russia's aggression in Ukraine to instability across the region.
That position puts him squarely at odds with European governments he believes have been too cautious on Iran while loudly championing Palestinian statehood. Janša framed the contrast as evidence of the same selective moralism he accused the UN of practicing, loud on politically convenient causes, quiet on the ones that demand harder choices.
Whether the General Assembly listens when Janša takes the podium Thursday is another matter. But his broader point, that international institutions lose credibility when they apply their principles selectively, is one that resonates well beyond the small Alpine nation he leads. Rules that bend depending on who breaks them are not rules at all.
