Budapest – If the EU proposes to increase financial aid to Ukraine after a decrease in support from the USA, at the expense of member states, Slovakia “should not participate in such games”. This was stated by the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico, informed the special correspondent of TASR, after the conclusion of the informal summit in Budapest.
“If proposals come to increase financial assistance at the expense of EU member states just because a big supporter (the USA) is dropping out of the game, Slovakia should not participate in such games because the conflict does not have a military solution,” declared the prime minister.
According to the Prime Minister, the current strategy of the EU is that “Ukraine must win this war and Russia must lose it. Similarly, the EU has a strategy to support Ukraine militarily and financially so that it is strong enough during negotiations.”
However, he reminded his partners that from his point of view, none of these strategies work. They are “nice strategies, but none of them work.” According to Fico, it is clear that Ukraine is not succeeding militarily and that “the sanctions system has not harmed the Russian Federation as expected, and that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has record support.”
Fico stated that it is currently unclear what stance the new American President Donald Trump will take on Ukraine. The Prime Minister does not think that Trump would resolve the Ukrainian conflict through force. He could rather opt for a path of compromise or reducing support for Ukraine. Therefore, he believes that the current EU strategies will not be relevant after the reduction of support from the USA. “I cannot quite imagine that the EU would take over the full burden of supporting the war in Ukraine,” Fico stated.
The Prime Minister also said that the real interest in ending the war is currently held by the new American president and China with Brazil, who have a joint plan. According to him, the EU should join these actors and exert pressure to conclude a peace that would suit all involved parties.
On the issue of EU competitiveness, which was one of the main topics of the Budapest summit, the prime minister declared that any EU plans cannot restrict social standards and the Slovak industry, which is based on car production. According to the prime minister, the EU’s goals in the field of electromobility are unrealistic, as the Union lacks the necessary infrastructure. He also declared that it is necessary for the money of European citizens not to go through investments to the USA, but to be invested in European projects. (November 8)
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