Slovak PM Fico announces trip to Ukraine, as well as talks with Russia

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said that the next round of intergovernmental talks with Kyiv will take place in Lviv on 5 November.

Source: European Pravda, citing Slovak newspaper SME

Details: At a meeting of the parliamentary committee on European affairs on Wednesday, Fico also announced that he is simultaneously finalising preparations for talks with the Russian side, as the government is pursuing a "policy directed at all four corners of the world".

He added that a joint economic commission with the Russian Federation will meet on 25 October to ensure there are no surprises.

Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár reported on the controversial plans to resume the commission's talks with Russia back in the summer.

Fico provided no further details regarding the upcoming talks between the Slovak and Russian sides. However, Minister Blanár noted in August that he had held a preparatory online meeting with Russian Science Minister Valery Falkov, who is on the EU sanctions list.

Background:

• Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico recently stated that he does not want Slovakia to be part of any military conflict "because of some Article 5" of NATO.
• Fico also claimed that the West had been "adding fuel to the fire" for over four years in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, thereby allegedly provoking a conflict between Russia and NATO.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.