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Fico: In Paris, a meeting of friends of war is taking place, Slovakia has nothing to do there

by AI | 19.Feb 2025 | Europe in brief AI

Robert Fico labeled the informal summits of EU leaders at Emmanuel Macron’s initiative as “war-like.”

Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico criticized Emmanuel Macron's informal summits. PHOTO: TASR

Bratislava – In Paris on Wednesday, according to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, there is a meeting of friends of war, and a similar one was held on Monday (17.2.). According to him, Slovakia has no place at such “war meetings”. He also informed the President of the European Council, António Costa, by phone. Fico was reacting to an informal European summit on Ukraine and European security in Paris, TASR reports.

“Informal meetings of friends of war in Paris are the result of completely unnecessary nervousness, into which the EU is bringing itself. We are nervous when the American Vice President tells us the truth in Munich. We are nervous when the USA and Russia do not invite us to the negotiating table about peace in Ukraine,” the Prime Minister said in a video on social media.

According to him, a proper summit of all EU member states should be convened and “pour out some truth”. “The world in February 2025 is completely different from the world in December 2024. And we either accept and respond to it, or we cry again and make all sorts of tantrums,” the Prime Minister concluded.

The West, he noted, supported the war for three years. “Now, when the new American President is bringing new winds of peace, Europe is trying to position itself as a peacemaker and is sticking a foot in the door that the representatives of the USA and Russia want to close, at least for now, to have peace to negotiate,” said Fico, adding that Europe should take responsibility for the past three years and create space for the USA and Russia to negotiate.

He agrees that the result of the negotiations between the USA and Russia may be something that does not correspond to a just peace for Ukraine. “This is almost certain to happen. And it is mainly due to the West’s approach to the war. But if it will be peace and the unnecessary killing ends, the EU should approach such an agreement constructively, not attack it, but try to improve it in favor of Ukraine. With Ukraine’s full participation,” said the Prime Minister. As he pointed out, the EU should start negotiating its own foreign policy and a new quality of relations between the USA and the EU.

Fico declares that he is trying to pursue a sovereign Slovak foreign policy based on peace, adherence to international law, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and oriented to all four cardinal directions.

“I consider EU membership to be vital, so I will actively participate in all forums where the EU will be reshaped. At the same time, I will use Slovakia’s potential to negotiate in all four cardinal directions. That is why tomorrow (20.2.) I am leaving for a working visit to the USA,” he stated, adding that the agenda of peace negotiations will be the most important. (February 19)

“Informal meetings of friends of war in Paris are the result of completely unnecessary nervousness, into which the EU is bringing itself. We are nervous when the American Vice President tells us the truth in Munich. We are nervous when the USA and Russia do not invite us to the negotiating table about peace in Ukraine.” Robert Fico