Putin Opens Slovakia's Proposal To Host Peaceful Negotiations With Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin/Obviously Alexander Kazakov/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

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

Putin, who this week hosted Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in the Kremlin, said Fico offered his country host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

"(Slovakia) 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," Putin said.

Slovakia is seen as one of the EU member states in central and eastern Europe that is skeptical of support for Ukraine, and supports negotiations with Russia.

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said Slovakia had long sought a peaceful solution to the conflict. Putin's statement is a positive signal to end the war.

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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly criticized Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, for Fico's friendly attitude towards Russia since he returned to power after elections in 2023.

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

Putin said on Thursday Russia could reuse a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile known as Oreshnik, but was not in a hurry to do so.

"We do not exclude the possibility of using it today and tomorrow, if necessary," Putin said.