During a news conference following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he was open to having Slovakia host potential peace talks following the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Responding to questions from journalists, Putin said that Slovakian officials “would be happy to provide their own country as a platform for negotiations. We are not opposed, if it comes to that. Why not? Since Slovakia takes such a neutral position.”
Putin’s comments come after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met with Putin at the Kremlin during a visit on Dec. 22 to discuss gas supplies after Kyiv said it would not extend the deal on transiting Russian gas to Europe past Dec. 31.
The visit by the Russian-friendly leader was heavily criticized by EU and Ukrainian officials, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling Fico’s pro-Russian energy policy a “big security issue” for Slovakia and Europe.
“Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?” Zelensky asked in his criticism of Fico.
Under Fico’s leadership, Slovakia took a sharp foreign policy turn, halting military supplies to Ukraine from the Slovak Armed Forces’ stocks and adopting more Russian-friendly rhetoric.
Putin’s comments surrounding possible peace negotiations come ahead of the January inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to get the U.S. “out” of Russia’s war and negotiate a quick peace deal.
During his press conference, Putin provided contradictory statements on bringing the war to an end in 2025, saying that Russia aims “to end the conflict,” while also stating his hopes that Russia will “achieve success on the front line.”
Trump suggested on Dec. 22 that Putin wants to hold a meeting with him “as soon as possible.”
Trump has nominated retired general Keith Kellogg as his special Ukrainian peace envoy, tasked with leading negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Kellogg is expected to visit Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration.
Kellogg previously co-authored a peace plan that would freeze the front line in Ukraine, take NATO’s accession off the table for an extended period, and partially lift sanctions imposed on Russia. The plan would also cut off military aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv agreed to enter negotiations.
The Financial Times reported on Dec. 20 that despite these proposals, Trump intends to continue sending U.S. weapons to Ukraine when he becomes president.
Slovak PM Robert Fico meets with Putin in Moscow
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on December 22, according to the state-owned TASS news agency.