BRATISLAVA: Newly installed Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he will not vote for any new EU sanctions against Russia if they har...
BRATISLAVA: Newly installed Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he will not vote for any new EU sanctions against Russia if they harm Slovakia, the pravda.sk portal reported.
"Fico stressed that he will not vote [for the EU to introduce] any sanctions against the Russian Federation until there is a [documented] analysis of their impact on Slovakia on the table," the portal noted.
"If sanctions bring us [Slovakia] harm, then I don’t see any reason to support them," Fico said, before departing for the EU summit in Brussels.
Fico also confirmed that the Slovak government is discontinuing military assistance to Ukraine. At the upcoming summit, according to the portal, the prime minister will advocate "zero military support" for the Kiev authorities.
Moreover, Fico is calling for the European Union to step forward as one of the primary initiators of a viable plan to achieve peace in Ukraine. Before departing for the EU summit, the prime minister informed members of the Slovak parliament’s European Affairs Committee that there was still no unity among EU member states about whether Brussels should even begin negotiations with Kiev on providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
According to Fico, the EU "should turn from the arms supplier it is now into a peacemaker." The plan proposed by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, in his opinion, is unrealistic. The final word on bringing the military conflict to an end remains with the Russian Federation and the United States.
"I am in favor of [a quick] end to hostilities. It makes no difference to me what the plan leading to the achievement of this goal will be. It’s up to the Russians and Americans to decide how they agree. The Ukrainians don’t play any role here; whatever the Russians and the Americans agree on will be in force and I want peace to come. I do not support any of Zelensky’s plans, as they are completely unrealistic," Fico said.
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