Russia Prime Minister Fico: Slovakia ready to act as mediator
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has offered his country as a meeting place for possible talks on ending the war in Ukraine. "If anyone approaches us and is interested in organizing peace talks on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict in Slovakia, they can count on our hospitality," Fico said in a video message published on Facebook. He had discussed this proposal with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow and was delighted with his positive reaction.
28.12.2024, 11:10
SDA
Putin had already stated on Friday that Fico had offered his country as a platform during his visit to Moscow last Sunday and welcomed this initiative. The left-wing populist Fico has repeatedly attracted attention for his public criticism of the West's Ukraine policy. His trip to Putin has drawn fierce criticism from the EU and Ukraine.
Fico threatens to cut off power to Ukraine
Fico combined his offer to mediate in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine with a threat to Kiev. If Ukraine were to stop the flow of Russian gas to Slovakia on January 1 as planned, then "adequate countermeasures" would be taken, said the head of government. "If it is unavoidable, then we will stop the electricity supplies that Ukraine urgently needs when it has supply bottlenecks."
Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas at the beginning of the year, which poses problems for Slovakia. Ukraine will lose the transit fees that were still being paid despite the war. However, it wants to deprive Russia of the opportunity to earn money for its war effort by exporting gas to Europe.
