Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico wants to restore normal relations with Russia after the end of the war in Ukraine, which has been resisting the Russian military invasion since February 2022, Slovak media outlet Dennik N reports, according to UNN.
Details
"If the war ends during the mandate of this government, I will do everything to restore economic and normal relations with the Russian Federation. The European Union needs the Russian Federation, the Russian Federation needs the European Union. Friendly relations with Ukraine will be very important for us," said Fico, whose current government's mandate will expire in 2027. He added that "the conflict in Ukraine has no military solution.
In his speech, without further details, he also stated that Czech President Petr Pavel "has already changed his position on the war in Ukraine". As indicated, he did not provide any details. However, the publication cites Pavel's interview with the New York Times as an example.
Україна має будувати реалістичніші сценарії закінчення війни - президент Чехії23.09.24, 23:27
Fico reportedly also spoke in favor of maintaining the transit of Russian raw materials to Europe through Ukraine. Ahead of a meeting between the Slovak and Ukrainian governments scheduled for next week, he said he would like Ukraine to remain a transit country for raw materials that he said Europe needs.
Addendum
EU countries have started to reduce their dependence on gas from Russia, for example. The current agreement on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe expires at the end of this year. Kyiv has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to extend it. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU banned imports of Russian oil; an exception was granted to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic for supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.