Slovak PM says his government seeks swift end to war in Ukraine, not Russia's defeat

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said his government's policy is focused on ending the war in Ukraine quickly rather than on Russia's defeat.

Source: Fico in a televised debate on Slovak public broadcaster STVR, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Fico once again criticised the European Union's approach to Russia's war against Ukraine.

Quote: "The goal of the foreign policy of the Slovak Republic, of the government of the Slovak Republic, of which I am prime minister, is not the defeat of the Russian Federation. Our goal is to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible. These are Slavs killing each other. War is not the solution."

Details: Like his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán, Fico has long been critical of the EU's sanctions on Russia over its continuing aggression against Ukraine and EU military support for Kyiv. Since returning to power the year before last, Fico's government has stopped the supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine from state reserves, although commercial deliveries have been allowed to continue.

Quote: "If the EU spent as much energy on peace as it does on supporting the war in Ukraine, the war could have been over long ago. I will never be a wartime prime minister."

More details: When the moderator asked whether his non-interventionist stance goes against the legacy of those who fought for Slovakia's freedom in World War II, Fico described the war in Ukraine as a "regional conflict".

Background:

• After the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Fico urged Ukraine to be open to discussing territorial changes, saying that further steps to end the war would be impossible otherwise.
• Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić were the only European leaders who attended the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow alongside Putin. [Victory Day is a Russian holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, celebrated on 9 May – ed.]

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