Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico gave an online interview to chief Russian propagandist Olga Skabeyeva, with parts published on Skabeyeva's Telegram channel on Oct. 30.
Fico is known for inflammatory statements on Ukraine and the war that often echo Moscow's talking points. He has repeatedly criticized military aid for Ukraine and called for restoring relations with Russia after the war.
Talking to the propagandist sanctioned by several Western countries, the prime minister of a NATO and EU member country discussed several topics, including the Nord Stream pipeline explosions and the supposed Western fatigue over the support of Ukraine. Fico also reiterated his desire to visit Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day celebrations.
Based on the snippets published on Skabeyeva's channel, Fico claimed that in April 2022, real agreements were on the table that could immediately end the war.
The unsuccessful talks in 2022 held in Belarus and Turkey were the only occasion when Ukraine and Russia took part in direct negotiations. A resulting draft treaty, which reportedly precluded Ukraine from joining NATO and postponed the matter of occupied territories, was never signed due to disagreement on several key points and a shifting tide on the battlefield.
"And today we all look at this war, and I feel, excuse the frankness, we look away and say: Here are your weapons, here is your money, fight, just don't bore us with it, we just don't want to have anything to do with it anymore, with this war," the Slovak prime minister said.
Fico expressed skepticism over earlier reports that the Nord Stream pipeline was blown up by Ukrainian officers, calling the allegation "nonsense." He also said it was his personal duty to visit Moscow on the 80th anniversary, marking the end of the Second World War.
German investigators reportedly linked the Nord Stream explosions in September 2022 to a group of Ukrainian nationals, implicating even some top ex-officials like former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Kyiv has denied any involvement, pointing to Russia as the culprit instead.
Sonya Bandouil
(Updated: )
