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Slovak Defense Minister urges Ukraine to consider territorial concessions for "war to stop immediately"

by Sonya Bandouil December 30, 2024 4:25 AM 1 min read
Slovak Defence and Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak addresses a press conference in Bratislava, Slovakia on May 19, 2024 (Vladimir Simicek/AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said that Ukraine may need to cede some territory due to the realities on the ground, Slovak news agency TASR reported on Dec. 29.

During a television interview, Kalinak claimed that Slovakia’s priority is for an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations.

While he stated that Russia is undeniably the aggressor in the conflict and has violated international law, he said that post-war stability is more important than its precise borders.

"Ukraine does not realize it will never find itself between Germany and Switzerland, but will always share its longest border with the Russian Federation," he said. “It is important that, above all, people stop dying.”

Under Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's leadership, Slovakia took a sharp foreign policy turn, halting military supplies to Ukraine from the Slovak Armed Forces' stocks and adopting more Russian-friendly rhetoric.

Fico also recently announced he had accepted the Kremlin's invitation to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow next May.

Slovakia threatens to cut electricity supplies if Ukraine ends Russian gas transit
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Dec. 27 that his government will evaluate potential reciprocal measures against Ukraine, including halting electricity supplies, if Ukraine stops the transit of Russian gas to Slovakia after January 1.

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