Kiev won’t ever be sturdy sufficient to barter from a place of energy, the Slovak PM has argued
Bratislava will now not present navy or monetary assist to Kiev, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has mentioned, rejecting the Western mantra of “peace by means of pressure” and calling for an instantaneous ceasefire in Ukraine.
The announcement got here in response to a tense assembly on the White Home on Friday, the place Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, US President Donald Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance have been anticipated to formalize a minerals settlement between Washington and Kiev. The dialogue devolved right into a heated change when Zelensky insisted that Trump ought to help Kiev extra moderately than stay impartial to mediate a ceasefire with Moscow.
Trump lower the assembly quick, stating that Zelensky was “not prepared” for peace. “We’re in search of peace. We’re not in search of any person that’s going to enroll a powerful energy after which not make peace as a result of they really feel emboldened,” the US chief instructed the press afterward.
“Slovakia won’t help Ukraine, neither financially nor militarily, to proceed the conflict. If others accomplish that, we are going to respect it,” Fico wrote on social media on Saturday.
The Slovak chief criticized Kiev’s Western backers for pursuing “peace by means of pressure,” calling the strategy unrealistic and a pretext for prolonging hostilities.
“Ukraine won’t ever be sturdy sufficient to barter from a place of navy energy,” he argued.
Slovakia plans to suggest an “fast ceasefire” on the upcoming EU summit on March 6, despite the fact that the initiative has already been rejected by Zelensky and a number of other EU member states.
Fico additionally warned that limiting Russian fuel provides harms European business, calling for the resumption of fuel transit by means of Ukraine to Slovakia and Western Europe.
“Gasoline from east to west will not be flowing, however Ukraine is taking European fuel as an alternative,” he mentioned, describing the present state of affairs as “absurd” and insisting that EU help to Ukraine “can’t be a one-way ticket.”
Whereas acknowledging the necessity to strengthen Europe’s protection capabilities, he urged EU leaders to acknowledge differing views on the Ukraine battle. “If it isn’t revered on the summit that there are opinions apart from persevering with the conflict, the European Council might not be capable to agree on conclusions about Ukraine,” he added.
Since returning to workplace in 2023, Fico has been a vocal critic of the EU’s stance on the Ukraine battle. He has halted Slovakia’s navy assist to Kiev, opposed Ukraine’s NATO membership bid, and advocated for fast peace talks. Fico has additionally criticized EU sanctions on Russia, arguing that they’re ineffective and damaging to Europe, and has urged the West to renew regular dialogue with Moscow.
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