Slovakia notes Putin's readiness for talks on Ukraine
Slovak authorities see Russian President Vladimir Putin 's readiness for peace talks on Ukraine, support it and are ready to provide a platform, Katarina Roth-Nevedyalova, a member of the European Parliament and head of the international department of Prime Minister Robert Fitzo's party "Direction - Social Democracy," said on January 1.
"I regard this as a positive sign and Russia's readiness for a ceasefire, the start of negotiations and finding a path to peace. We can only support this. I am also sure that Slovakia is ready to facilitate the process and help put an end to [the Ukrainian conflict]," she told TASS, commenting on Putin's statement on Bratislava's readiness to become a platform for a settlement.
According to Roth-Nevedyalova, Slovakia has always called for negotiations and a peace process and believes that the European Union should have acted as a mediator from the very beginning of the conflict.
Earlier on December 22, Putin and the Slovak prime minister held talks in the Kremlin. Fitzo called his visit to Russia a reaction to Zelensky's statement about the termination of Russian gas transit to Europe. The Ukrainian conflict was one of the topics of the meeting.
Putin then revealed on December 26 that at the meeting, Fitzo suggested making Slovakia a negotiating platform on Ukraine. The Russian side is not against such a scenario, as it seeks to finalize the conflict, the head of state clarified. Fitzo confirmed Bratislava's readiness to host the talks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out that it was not only Slovakia that made such a proposal. A country with a neutral position could become a platform for negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis, he pointed out.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.
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