Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico believes that the likelihood of an end to the war in Ukraine in the near future is "very high." He said this on Wednesday at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs before leaving for a meeting of the European Council later this week, UNN reports with reference to the Slovak agency TARS.
"The probability of the end of the war in Ukraine in the near future is very high," the prime minister said, noting that he expects the European Council meeting to indicate when this might happen, "since they unexpectedly raise the topic of inviting Ukraine to NATO." In his opinion, this invitation will not be "free".
Fico wished Ukraine a just peace, but wondered whether it was possible to achieve it in the current "state of affairs." He reiterated that his government supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and that it would support any peace plan put forward to end the war. Furthermore, he stated that "peace talks" would also be on the agenda of his upcoming visit to China.
At the same time, Fico said he has always sought balanced relations with Russia. In his opinion, "we should accept the fact that the Russians will not leave Crimea and other territories such as Donetsk and Luhansk." In his opinion, the war has no military solution.
The prime minister noted that Slovakia continues to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine, adding that the most needed support is the supply of electricity. He counts on Ukraine's cooperation in the import of oil and gas to Slovakia. "I refuse to import oil from somewhere across the Adriatic," he said, explaining that in this case, duties would increase. "It is our duty to ensure that transit through Slovakia continues, as well as transit through Ukraine, whether it is oil or gas," he said.