Putin supports Slovakia as potential venue for Ukraine peace talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed Slovakia as a suitable location for potential future negotiations on resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Speaking on Thursday at a press conference following the EAEU summit in St. Petersburg, the Russian leader confirmed that the EU nation was ready to host peace talks.
The idea was reportedly floated during Putin’s meeting this week with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Slovakia has consistently advocated a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict, diverging from other EU nations by opposing the supply of arms to Kiev. Its stance positions the country as a potential neutral mediator, according to Putin.
“We are not against it,” the Russian leader said, noting that Slovakia takes “a neutral position, from our point of view,” and that it is “an acceptable option.”
Fico said following his meeting with Putin on Monday that they had “exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine” and explored possibilities for reaching “an early peaceful end” to the conflict.
Speculation about possible Russia-Ukraine peace talks gained momentum after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election last month. The Republican has repeatedly vowed to quickly end the fighting.
Moscow has said it is open to talks, provided they take into account the territorial “reality on the ground,” with Kiev accepting that it will never regain control of the Russian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye, as well as Crimea.
Vladimir Zelensky insists on the return of the four former Ukrainian regions that joined Russia in 2022, and an invitation to join the NATO bloc – conditions that Moscow deems unacceptable.
