Slovakia: We are ready to host negotiations for Ukraine

2024-12-28 09:41:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Slovakia: We are ready to host negotiations for Ukraine

Robert Fico and Vladimir Putin

Slovakia is being offered as a host country for possible peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. "If someone wants to organize peace talks in Slovakia, we will be ready and we will be hospitable," declared Prime Minister Robert Fico on Facebook. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico apparently offered his country as a venue for talks during his visit to Moscow last Sunday.

Even the Slovak Foreign Minister, Juraj Blanar, previously announced that Slovakia was offering "to hold such negotiations on Slovak soil". Representatives of all parties to the conflict "and therefore Russia" should participate in these talks, Blanar said on Facebook.

Slovakia is part of a growing group of Central and Eastern European EU member states that are skeptical about supporting Russia-attacked Ukraine and favor negotiations with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself has repeatedly criticized Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, for its friendly tone towards Russia.

Meanwhile, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has expressed that he can imagine Slovakia as a meeting point for possible talks on ending the war in Ukraine. On Friday he stated that Slovakia had proposed to serve as a "platform" for peace negotiations in Ukraine. Putin called the proposal "acceptable" and praised Slovakia's "neutral position". "If it goes this far, why not? From our point of view, Slovakia occupies a neutral position", said Putin.

But in Slovakia, Putin's comments drew sharp criticism from the opposition. Michal Simecka, head of Slovakia's largest opposition party, wrote on Facebook: "It is absurd that someone other than our government informs us about the foreign policy of the Slovak Republic. Now also the Russian president and criminal Vladimir Putin. ” Regarding the offer to Putin to organize Russian-Ukrainian talks in Bratislava, Simecka made a counter-proposal: “If Fico wants peace, he must first call on Putin to stop his attacks and stop killing innocent people in Ukraine".

Prime Minister Fico with his visit to Putin was criticized both by Ukraine and the EU. The visit was mainly about gas deliveries. Ukraine will stop the transit of Russian gas early next year, which causes problems for Slovakia.