Fico: Slovakia's goal isn't Russia's defeat, but swift end to war in Ukraine

He said this on a television discussion program on the public broadcaster STVR.

The Slovak Prime Minister once again criticized the European Union's approach to the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.

"The goal of the foreign policy of the Slovak Republic, of the government of the Slovak Republic, of which I am the Prime Minister, is not the defeat of the Russian Federation. Our goal is to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible. These are Slavs killing each other. War is not a solution," Fico said.

The Slovak Prime Minister, like his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán, has long criticized EU sanctions against Russia for its ongoing aggression against Ukraine and military aid to Kyiv. After coming to power the year before last, Fico's current government decided to stop supplying weapons and military equipment from state reserves to Ukraine, but allowed commercial deliveries to continue.

"If the EU spent as much energy on peace as it does on supporting the war in Ukraine, the war could have been over long ago. I will never be a wartime prime minister," said the Slovak Prime Minister.

When asked by the moderator if the approach of non-interference in the war in Ukraine contradicts the legacy of those who fought for Slovakia's freedom during World War II, Fico described the war in Ukraine as a regional conflict.