Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Slovakia hold bilateral meeting for the first time
Uzhhorod, Ukraine (Svidomi) — Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Slovakia Denys Shmyhal and Robert Fico held their first joint meeting since Fico was elected to office in October 2023. The meeting took place against the background of Robert Fico's statements about a "territorial compromise" between Ukraine and Russia.
Denys Shmyhal and Robert Fico met in the Ukrainian border town of Uzhhorod in Ukraine.
The Slovak newspaper Pravda says that Fico arrived in Uzhhorod with humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal said that despite their disagreements (the current Slovak leadership is against Ukraine's accession to NATO and opposes military assistance to Ukraine — ed.), Ukraine intends to form a policy of "new pragmatism" with the Slovak government that will benefit both countries.
Robert Fico invited the Ukrainian prime minister to visit Slovakia. "We have small disagreements, but this is political life. It does not change the fact that we want to help you," he said, according to Pravda.
According to the Ukrainian prime minister, after the meeting, they agreed that the Slovak government would not block Ukraine's purchase of weapons and equipment from Slovak businesses. Ukraine and Slovakia will cooperate on the supply of equipment from a Slovak company for the construction of defence borders.
Slovakia will also support the Ukraine Facility programme, which allocates €50 billion to Ukraine from the European Union (this is the aid that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán previously blocked. Robert Fico has stated that he supports this position — ed.)
Prime Minister Fico assured Denys Shmyhal of his full support for Ukraine's European integration plans (he had previously stated that Slovakia would not block Ukraine's accession to the EU, unlike its accession to NATO — ed.)
The countries reaffirmed their readiness for further cooperation aimed at respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognised borders. Fico expressed support for the Ukrainian peace formula.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of Slovakia's participation in Ukraine's recovery and the appointment of a Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery, Resilience and Knowledge Economy Plan of the Slovak Republic. It underlined the importance of developing military-technical cooperation on a commercial basis.
The two prime ministers confirmed the importance of Slovakia's participation in the humanitarian demining of Ukraine and increasing the transit potential for Ukrainian agricultural exports.
Robert Fico is the leader of the Social Democracy party (Smer - SD). This is his third term as prime minister. In 2022, he was accused of creating a criminal organisation.
