Progressive Slovakia Slams PM Fico's Stance on Trump-Putin Summit

Bratislava, 18 August (TASR) – The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has criticised Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) for his stance on the recent summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a betrayal of Slovakia's interests. The remarks were made during a press conference held by PS representatives on Monday. "You saw the reactions of our government, those of the prime minister and of Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD), to the yet publicly unconfirmed agreement and Russian demands in Alaska. Both immediately sided with Russia publicly, saying that Russia should be granted security guarantees and that there's a need to discuss what Putin called the elimination of the root causes of the conflict. In Russian diplomatic language, this means returning to the pre-1997 state of affairs. Slovakia was not in NATO then and had no allied ties," said PS leader and MP Michal Simecka. He argued that government members also agree with Putin’s intention to focus on a comprehensive agreement rather than a ceasefire in Ukraine, referencing Kalinak's comments on Sunday. "Fico said that the most important thing was an immediate end to the fighting and the killing of civilians. Now, when Putin says it is good to pursue a comprehensive agreement – while continuing to bomb Ukrainian cities – Fico and his government have shifted to that position," stated Simecka. Alongside PS Presidium member Ivan Korcok and House foreign affairs committee vice-chair Tomas Valasek (PS), Simecka lambasted the prime minister for not seeking an invitation to Monday's meeting between European leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the US president. "Slovakia has been completely left out of this debate," said Simecka. He suggested that the prime minister has no audience to convey Slovakia's priorities or interests to. "And that's the result of the isolation that this government has brought upon us," he added. On Monday, the US president will first meet Zelenskyy in Washington, with European leaders joining later. Key topics will include security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement and the stance on Russia's territorial claims. The talks follow the summit in Alaska on 15 August at which Trump met Putin. mf/df