Newly installed Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico got people talking about the Russia/Ukraine situation again on January 20th. With a meeting slated for Jan 24th between Fico and Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal, Fico ensured Slovak news outlet Aktuality got some sound bites in advance.
According to Aktuality, Fico announced that Ukraine refuses to allow Shmyhal to appear at a press conference following their meeting. He also claimed that he has a list of humanitarian aid options for Ukraine, but he wants to ensure everyone in Kyiv understands that Slovakia won’t be sending any of their weapons from their military or their stockpiles. While the nation will allow commercial arms dealing, there will be no joining of NATO.
“I will tell him that I am against the membership of Ukraine in NATO and that I will veto it. It would merely be a basis for World War III, nothing else. Ukraine is not an independent and sovereign country. (They are) under the total influence and control of the United States.”
In his eyes, Shmyhal, other Ukrainians, and their supporters need to change their way of thinking about how this conflict will end. “There has to be some kind of compromise, which will be very painful for both sides. And what are they waiting for? That the Russians will leave Crimea, Donbas, and Luhansk? It’s unrealistic.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky has dug his heels in on the idea that until Russia leaves Ukrainian territory and restores the borders of 1991, there will be no negotiations. To the Kremlin, this is an unacceptable notion, as they claim many of the inhabitants of these areas are Russian and are under intense persecution by Ukrainian authorities if they are returned.