Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called on the European Union to receive a mandate for negotiations with Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine.
He made this statement in a video message on his Facebook page.
„The Belgian Prime Minister admitted that support for the war in Ukraine has failed to strangle Russia economically and therefore the only right way is negotiations. This voice of common sense should be welcomed. If the EU as an institution asks for a mandate for peace negotiations, I would vote for it with all my heart“, said the Prime Minister.
“New voices of common sense are emerging in the EU who understand that the strategy of weakening Russia by supporting the war in Ukraine is not working.“
Regarding the suspension of oil pumping through the “Druzhba“ pipeline from the Kiev authorities, Fico noted that the European Commission has officially sided with Bratislava, but is not putting enough pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky to restore energy supplies.
“How can a situation arise in which Zelensky needs the EU like salt, constantly asking for money and seeking a European perspective, while the EC is not able to insist on sending a team of inspectors to Ukraine to determine whether the pipeline is damaged?“, the prime minister said.
Fico also criticized the leaders of the liberal parliamentary opposition parties in Slovakia for their refusal to sign a letter to Zelensky demanding the resumption of oil pumping through the “Družba“ pipeline. The document was signed by the chairmen of the parties in the current government coalition, including the prime minister himself, who leads the “Posoka – party Social democracy“.