The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, has offered his country as a meeting place for possible talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
“If anyone turns to us and is interested in organizing peace talks in Slovakia about the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, they can count on our hospitality,” Fico said in a video message announced on Facebook late Friday.
He said that he had discussed the proposal with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his recent visit to Moscow and that he was pleased with the positive attitude.
Putin welcomed the initiative on Friday.
The left-wing populist, Fico, has repeatedly criticized Western policy on Ukraine. His visit to Putin has drawn strong criticism from Kiev and the EU.
Fico threatens to cut electricity to Ukraine
Fico sent his offer to mediate in Russia's attack on Ukraine with a threat against Kiev.
If Ukraine stops the transfer of Russian gas to Slovakia as planned on January 1, “appropriate measures” will be taken, Fico warned.
“If it is not unavoidable, we will cut off the electricity supply that Ukraine urgently needs when it has supply bottlenecks,” he said.
Kiev has promised to stop Russian gas transit through Ukrainian territory on January 1, angering Slovakia.
Ukraine will lose transfer taxes, which were still being paid by Russia despite the fighting. But he wants to give Moscow the opportunity to finance its war by exporting gas to Europe.
Zelensky criticizes Fico's warnings
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky interpreted Fico's threat as an order from the Kremlin.
“Putin seems to have ordered Fico to open the second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the interests of the Slovak people,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Zelensky said that Ukraine has so far been able to prevent blackouts through the heroic efforts of energy workers and cooperation with the EU.
However, he said that the dispute over the Russian gas transfer shows that “Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia's efforts to cause more suffering for Ukrainians.”
“Supporting Russian aggression is completely immoral,” Zelensky said.
