EU country ready to host Russia-Ukraine talks – PM

Slovakia’s Robert Fico made the announcement on social media

Slovakia is willing to host any kind of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Friday.

Fico reportedly floated the idea privately to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his recent visit to Moscow. Since his election in 2023, Slovakia has criticized the EU and NATO approach to the conflict and advocated for a ceasefire and talks.

“If someone wants to organize a peace negotiation in the Slovak Republic, we will be ready and hospitable,” Fico said Friday in a Facebook post.

He also accused Ukraine of causing “billions in damage” to the EU, including Slovakia, by halting the transit of Russian natural gas, adding that “it seems that the bigwigs in the EU don’t mind.”

Fico’s public offer comes a day after Putin told reporters that Russia would not be opposed to it.

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“We are not against it,” the Russian leader said in St. Petersburg on Thursday, describing Slovakia as “an acceptable option” because of its de facto neutrality in the conflict.

Speculation about possible peace talks between Russia and Ukraine began after Donald Trump won the US presidential election last month. The Republican has repeatedly vowed to quickly end the conflict, but his camp has not offered any particulars as to how.

Moscow has repeatedly said it was open to a negotiated solution to the conflict so long as its interests and the “reality on the ground” are taken into consideration.

Kiev has rejected any idea of a settlement that would require recognizing that the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Crimea are parts of Russia. Ukraine has also insisted on joining NATO, which Russia has denounced as unacceptable.