Slovak President on Foreign Minister's meeting with Lavrov: It has brought us no closer to peace
President of Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová (photo: Getty Images)
The Slovakian-Russian meeting of the foreign ministers held yesterday, March 2, did not help bring peace closer, states the President of Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová.
Commenting on the meeting between Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a diplomatic forum in Antalya, Turkey, Čaputová said that this meeting "has brought us no closer to peace."
"The Slovak-Russian foreign ministers meeting has brought us no closer to just peace in Ukraine, which Russia has illegally and unjustifiably invaded. The fastest way to peace is through Vladimir Putin [Russian dictator - ed.] ordering his troops out of Ukraine not by giving him hope of his victory and acceptance," the statement reads.
As reported, yesterday the Slovak Foreign Minister met with Lavrov and shook hands with him.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico explained this as a "balanced policy," but the opposition "did not appreciate" this approach.
Slovakia's position on Ukraine
Last fall, parliamentary elections were held in Slovakia, which resulted in Robert Fico and the Course - Social Democracy party coming to power. Fico promised to end free military support for Ukraine and to block Ukraine's membership in NATO.
Fico has also repeatedly voiced Kremlin theses and has been known for his pro-Russian rhetoric. In particular, he believes that Russia's war against Ukraine is a "frozen conflict" that allegedly cannot be resolved through military support for Ukraine.
However, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna emphasized that Ukraine has no problems with the new Slovak government under Fico.
