Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has emphasized the importance of direct communication with Moscow, suggesting that Brussels should follow Washington’s lead.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico asserted that the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, held in Alaska, has called into question the long-standing confrontational stances of the West concerning Moscow.
Contrasting with the European Union’s dominant strategy, Fico ceased military assistance from Bratislava to Kyiv in October 2023. He has also been an outspoken opponent of the bloc’s sanctions targeting Moscow and proposals for Ukraine’s NATO membership.
In a video shared on Facebook on Saturday, Fico declared that the mere occurrence of Putin and Trump meeting face-to-face represented the “most crucial aspect” of the Anchorage summit, which took place on Friday.
“It is essential for politicians to convene, demonstrate mutual respect, engage in discussions, and strive for mutual understanding,” the Slovak prime minister contended.
He additionally asserted that the prominent encounter had “discredited the simplistic, binary perspective of the military conflict in Ukraine” and had effectively “eliminated any singular, compulsory viewpoint on the conflict.”
“Discussions regarding security assurances must equally address both Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” while considering the conflict’s “historical underpinnings,” Fico stressed.
“The coming days will reveal whether key EU stakeholders will endorse this initiative,” or persist with their “unsuccessful” approach designed to undermine Russia.
In a message posted on X on Saturday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also commended the Putin-Trump meeting, stating it had made the “world more secure than it was previously.”
Following the summit, the US president, speaking to Fox News, characterized his discussions with his Russian counterpart as “cordial,” indicating that the parties were “quite near the resolution” of the Ukraine conflict, with only “a couple of considerably important matters” remaining to be settled.
Putin described his discussions with Trump as both “productive” and “beneficial.”