Putin says Slovakia offered to host Ukraine peace talks

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Slovakia had offered to be a “platform” for possible peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, nearly three years since the launch of Moscow´s offensive.

Putin told a televised press conference Slovakia´s Prime Minister Robert Fico “said that if there are any negotiations, they would be happy to provide their country as a platform”.

He added that Russia was “not against it”, praising Slovakia´s “neutral position”.

Fico, one of the few European leaders to maintain ties with the Kremlin, met with the Russian president in Moscow on December 22.

His visit came despite Western efforts to isolate Putin and present a united front in support for Kyiv.

Slovakia, an EU and Nato member, has already halted military aid to Ukraine since autumn 2023 under Fico´s government, and called for peace talks. Fico has accused Kyiv of jeopardising his country´s supply of Russian natural gas, on which it is heavily dependent.