Slovakia backs Ukraine’s EU accession, Zelenskyy says
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Slovakia supports Ukraine on its path to joining the European Union. Bratislava is ready to assist Kyiv by sharing its experience, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.
Following a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Uzhhorod, Zelenskyy said that a number of important and key issues were discussed, including Ukraine’s EU accession.
"Slovakia supports Ukraine on its path toward the European Union. This is highly significant. We also share the view that Ukraine and Moldova must continue moving together toward EU membership," the President said.
At the same time, Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia in economic, energy, and infrastructure matters, noting that this should strengthen both countries. He also conveyed to his counterpart that Russian energy resources have no future in Europe.
In addition, the leaders exchanged information: Zelensky briefed Fico on the conversation between European leaders and Trump, while the Slovak prime minister shared details with Zelensky about contacts in China.
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Robert Fico (video screenshot)
Meeting between Zelenskyy and Fico
Slovak media reported the start of the meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Uzhhorod around 3:50 p.m. The discussions were expected to focus on energy infrastructure issues, including Ukrainian strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline.
Earlier this week, after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Fico hinted that he had a message for Zelenskyy. Ukrainian President stated immediately after the meeting that it had been "substantive."
Ukraine’s EU accession
On September 4, following the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s membership in the European Union is listed as a separate point among the security guarantees Kyiv seeks, as one of the key guarantees demanded by Ukraine.
Currently, the European Union cannot start accession negotiations with Ukraine solely due to the pro-Russian stance of Hungary. On August 27, it became known that Lithuania proposed a plan to begin accession talks without Hungary’s consent. According to Vilnius’ idea, a technical launch of negotiations could be carried out at the level of the EU’s 26 member states.
Ukraine, in turn, expects EU countries to make a decision on starting accession negotiations in the near future. Meanwhile, Hungary’s position is being urged to be ignored and not taken into account.
