Putin welcomes Slovak offer to host possible peace talks on Ukraine war ‘if it reaches that stage’

Vladimir Putin has welcomed an offer from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to host possible peace negotiations regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. “We’re not against the idea if it reaches that stage. And why not? From our point of view, Slovakia has taken a neutral position,” Putin said after a Supreme Eurasian Economic Council summit on Thursday.

Robert Fico met with Putin at the Kremlin on December 22, becoming the third E.U. member state leader (after the prime ministers of Hungary and Austria) to travel to Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In Europe, Fico is criticized for his “pro-Russian” views. Fico’s office said his visit to Russia was a response to Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent threats to halt Russian gas transit through Ukraine. (Zelensky later called on Slovak police to “take an interest” in Fico’s visit to Moscow.)

Recounting their meeting, Putin said Fico was focused “first and foremost” on reaching “a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian situation.” At the same time, Russia’s president vowed to continue “completing all special military operation objectives” in 2025.

In May of this year, the Slovak authorities also offered to hold a peace summit to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.