Fico Admits Vetoing More Sanctions If They Were to "Undermine Peace Process"

Bratislava, March 20 (TASR) - Slovakia could veto more EU sanctions against Russia if it thought that they would undermine the peace process regarding the war in Ukraine, said Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at a meeting of the parliamentary European affairs committee before leaving for the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday. Fico reiterated the government's position that it refuses to send military aid to Ukraine. He added that Slovakia supports Ukraine's accession to the EU provided that it meets the regular conditions. Fico believes that 'big countries' will want to protract Ukraine's accession to the Union. The premier views it as very dangerous for the image of the Union if it remains the only one that wants to fight. "Practically no one wants to fight anymore ... There are just EU countries that are constantly raising the issue of weapons," he said. According to him, the EU must push for peace in Ukraine, and so Slovakia will try to include this message in the summit conclusions. Fico told the opposition not to accuse him of expressing different opinions at home and in the EU, calling the Slovak government's stance rational and pragmatic. "The Slovak government cannot prevent anyone from providing weapons to Ukraine on a bilateral basis," he said, stressing that the Slovak government will never donate weapons to Ukraine again. "We are ready to cooperate only on a commercial basis," he said, adding that Slovakia is ready to continue providing humanitarian aid. According to the premier, there's a "great appetite" to include things that threaten us, such as the nuclear programme, in sanction packages. "If we view an attempt for further sanctions as something that could undermine the peace process, we are ready to 'veto' it, there's nothing bad in that," claimed Fico. Fico thinks that no peacekeeping missions should come to Ukraine until after peace is agreed. He doesn't support Slovak soldiers forming part of such missions, which should only be composed of countries that are not neighbours of Ukraine or Russia. "Slovakia isn't interested in a mission like this," he said. ko/df