Simecka: War in Ukraine Continues Only Because Russia Wants This

Bratislava, 24 February (TASR) - The war in Ukraine has left thousands of dead people and cities destroyed, pointed out MP and leader of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party Michal Simecka on Tuesday, stressing that the war is continuing only because Russia wants it to do so. Today we're marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's shameful invasion of Ukraine, the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II. Four years ago, the Russian Federation attacked its neighbour without any provocation. Thousands of deaths, destroyed cities, bombed infrastructure and the millions of people who have lost their homes are the direct result of Vladimir Putin's decision to wage an aggressive war," he noted. Simecka also stated that Robert Fico's current government (Smer-SD) is on the wrong side of history regarding this matter. "Instead of clear solidarity with the attacked country, we're seeing disorientation in all four cardinal directions, which weakens Ukraine and helps Russia. Halting electricity supplies to Ukraine in winter, when Ukrainians are facing Russian attacks on their energy infrastructure, is a moral failure on the part of Fico as a person and a political disgrace for his entire coalition," he added, emphasising that Slovakia should be a solid part of democratic Europe, not an ally of the aggressor. The war in Ukraine began on 24 February, 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a "special military operation" against Ukraine, and the war has become the biggest armed conflict in Europe since WWII. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Union, NATO, the United States and other countries imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia and began providing military, financial and humanitarian aid to Kiev. Negotiations for a ceasefire were resumed by the United States in 2025, but they haven't yet led to a cessation of fighting and attacks. Russia currently occupies almost 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and attacks cities, villages and civilian infrastructure on a daily basis, resulting in the worst energy crisis since the invasion began. am/df