Polish foreign minister Sikorski says 'maybe we can forgive him' after Slovakia's Fico changes tune on Ukraine
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Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on May 6 voiced willingness to thaw ties with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico if Bratislava doesn't block EU support for Ukraine, according to the TASR news agency.
"I read an interview with Prime Minister Fico a few days ago. He actually sounded very positive. If he unblocks aid to Ukraine but also goes to Russia, maybe we can forgive him," Sikorski said at the Defense24 Days conference in Warsaw.
Fico is expected to fly to Moscow for Russia's Victory Day celebrations on May 9 despite opposition from other EU members who have refused to allow the leader to use their airspace for travel to Russia.
Tensions in the relationship between Bratislava and Kyiv escalated after the Druzhba oil pipeline that supplies Slovakia and Hungary went offline in January after Kyiv said it was damaged in a Russian attack in western Ukraine.
Despite recent escalations, in a May 2 call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Fico reiterated his support for Ukraine's EU bid and stressed that no peace deal with Russia can be reached without Kyiv at the table.
The Slovak leader and Zelensky then met in Yerevan on May 4, continuing constructive dialogue between the two leaders.
Fico repeatedly backed outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's opposition to EU aid for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. The two have been widely regarded as Moscow's closest allies in the EU.
The incoming Hungarian leadership is expected to approve EU aid for Ukraine, Sikorski said at the conference.
