Slovakian Foreign Minister Jura Blanar met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Turkey.
A senior member of Slovakia's government met his Russian counterpart today in a rare high-level contact between a European Union member state and a country the EU seeks to isolate.
Slovakia's foreign minister held talks with Russia's Lavrov on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Turkey, the countries in question announced.
The meeting, one of the few between senior European and Russian officials since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was immediately criticized by Slovak opposition parties.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fičo, who has opposed sending government military aid to Ukraine, said the meeting “was an example of our balanced and sovereign foreign policy”. Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak met yesterday, Friday, with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin.
Ficho also said that Blanard and Lavrov talked about the possibilities of holding a peace summit for Ukraine in Switzerland.
Blanard said in a statement that he reiterated Slovakia's position that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has no military solution and called for peace talks.
He added that during their meeting, which took place at Russia's request, he told Lavrov that Slovakia's position is based on respect for the principles of international law, such as territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Blanar also stated that Slovakia is against the creation of an “iron curtain” between Russia and the EU.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two sides discussed issues, including Ukraine, and that Russia “confirmed that it is ready to restore relations with Slovakia.”
Fico returned to power after winning last year's election promising to end state military aid to Ukraine and has made pro-Russian statements in the past, while also criticizing sanctions against Moscow.
In his first comments during today's meeting, Lavrov said Russia prefers to work with countries like Slovakia or Hungary, which “prioritize” national interests even if joining the EU or NATO “creates some challenges ».
“In this regard, we appreciate even more the ability of Prime Minister Fitzgerald and his government to have their own opinion on the world situation,” Lavrov said, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Source: News Beast
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