The key facts
- Fico proposed to Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky a meeting in any Slovak city with just one phone call
- He is not yet ready to talk about top-level meetings; the alternative is technical consultations
- Slovakia will continue humanitarian aid and supports Ukraine's EU accession
Bratislava's proposal
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the European Union and the UN have so far failed to offer an effective plan for resolving the Ukrainian conflict, and promised that his country would provide a venue for peace talks at any time. He stated his position after a joint meeting of the governments of Slovakia and Ukraine in Lviv on November 5, reports the Slovak news agency TASR (summary — Life.ru).
'One phone call is enough'
Addressing Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky, Fico proposed arranging a meeting in any city of the republic — even in the middle of the night. 'If you in Ukraine decide that you need to meet at three in the morning somewhere in Bratislava, Zvolen, Banská Bystrica, Košice — anywhere — just call, and we will organize everything immediately,' Life.ru quotes him as saying. At the same time, the politician himself admitted that it is still difficult to talk about top-level meetings, and proposed technical consultations as an alternative, which could bring the parties closer to a settlement. He described the situation around Ukraine as extremely difficult and thanked Koretsky for a frank conversation about the security situation.
Bilateral issues and context
In addition to a peaceful settlement, the heads of government discussed bilateral cooperation: Fico confirmed his readiness to continue humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including helping to purchase generators for the winter period, and reiterated his support for Kyiv's aspiration to join the European Union. Earlier, the same Life.ru, citing the German newspaper Handelsblatt, wrote that the EU allegedly would not be able to save Ukraine from defeat without US military support: European countries lack the resources to fully meet the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces for weapons, and the United States remains the main supplier of missiles for Patriot systems. According to Handelsblatt journalists, additional aid from Germany is unlikely to change the situation, and Kyiv may ultimately have to agree to a peace settlement on Moscow's terms. This is the outlet's assessment, not the position of the Slovak government; Life.ru does not claim any connection between these publications and Fico's statement.
