Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has supplied his nation as a gathering place for potential talks on ending the conflict in Ukraine.
“If anybody turns to us and is desirous about organizing peace talks in Slovakia concerning the battle between Ukraine and Russia, they’ll depend on our hospitality,” Fico mentioned in a video message revealed on Fb late on Friday.
He mentioned he had mentioned the proposal with Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout his latest shock go to to Moscow and was happy with the optimistic response.
Putin on Friday welcomed the initiative.
The left-wing populist Fico has repeatedly criticized the West’s coverage on Ukraine. His journey to Putin has drawn fierce criticism from Kiev and the EU.
Fico threatens to chop off electrical energy to Ukraine
Fico mixed his provide to mediate in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a risk towards Kiev.
If Ukraine stops the transit of Russian fuel to Slovakia as deliberate on January 1, then “sufficient countermeasures” will likely be taken, Fico warned.
“Whether it is unavoidable, we are going to lower off the electrical energy provides that Ukraine urgently wants when it has provide bottlenecks,” he mentioned.
Kiev has vowed to cease the transit of Russian fuel by way of Ukrainian territory on January 1, angering Slovakia.
Ukraine will lose transit charges, which have been nonetheless being paid by Russia regardless of the preventing. But it surely needs to deprive Moscow of the chance to finance its conflict by exporting fuel to Europe.
Zelensky slams Fico’s warnings
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky interpreted Fico’s risk as an order from the Kremlin.
“It seems that Putin gave Fico the order to open the second power entrance towards Ukraine on the expense of the Slovak folks’s pursuits,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Zelensky mentioned Ukraine has up to now been in a position to stop a blackout by way of the heroic efforts of power employees and co-operation with the EU.
Nonetheless, he argued that the dispute over the transit of Russian fuel exhibits “Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia’s makes an attempt to trigger extra struggling for Ukrainians.”
“Supporting Russian aggression is totally immoral,” Zelensky added.
