Premier Fico Disagrees with Military or Financial Support for Ukraine

Bratislava, March 3 (TASR) - I refuse to support the war in Ukraine and so I don't agree with military or financial support for that country, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Monday in the context of the planned European Union (EU) summit in Brussels, adding that he wants to promote several things at the summit. The premier announced that he'll attend the parliamentary committee on European affairs on Thursday (March 6), where he'll ask for the stance that he'll present at the summit to be approved. "If the European Union decides to continue to provide massive financial and military support to Ukraine, it can only do so on a bilateral basis," said Fico, adding that Slovakia doesn't believe in the 'peace through strength' strategy because it has proven unsuccessful over the past three years. The prime minister said that the government is not interested in taking money from the state budget to finance the war in Ukraine, either. The Slovak government will further propose at the summit an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, a halt to the killing and the start of peace negotiations with the USA, Russia and Ukraine. "If Russia and the United States want to create some kind of a backstop, let them communicate for a while and then at some point Ukraine can join, Europe can join," stated Fico. The premier also announced that the government agrees with increasing the defence capabilities of the European Union and Europe as a whole. "We're ready to participate constructively in this, provided that there are exceptions regarding the Stability and Growth Pact and that we can put dual-purpose projects in arms spending," he said, adding that Slovakia is facing consolidation and is not economically strong when compared to other countries. An extraordinary EU summit on support for Ukraine and European defence is scheduled to be held in Brussels on March 6. It has been convened to discuss how to respond to the drastic change of course in US policy towards the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also been invited. am/df