President Putin Says Slovakia Could Host Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks

JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin said it was open to Slovakia's proposal to host peace negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

President Putin is known to have received a visit from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in the Kremlin, Moscow on 22 December.

The Kremlin's leader said PM Fico, who strongly opposes EU military support for Ukraine, had offered his country host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

President Putin said Slovak authorities "will be happy to provide their own country as a platform for negotiations. We are not against it if that happens. Why not? Because Slovakia is taking a neutral position," as quoted by Reuters December 27.

Slovakia is seen as one of the group of central and eastern European EU member states skeptical of support for Ukraine, supporting negotiations with Russia.

Separately, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said Slovakia had long sought a peaceful solution to the conflict, saying Putin was a "positive signal" to end the war.

"Slovvak diplomacy is ready to actively contribute to the peace process in this way and we have also communicated this option to Ukrainian partners," at a joint cabinet meeting in October, Blanar said in a statement released on Thursday evening.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly criticized Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, for the friendly tone PM Fico has shown to Russia since he returned to power after the general election in 2023.

President Putin himself has repeatedly said Russia is open to talks to end the conflict with Kyiv, but will still achieve its goals in Ukraine.