SaS: Slovaks Stand with Ukraine

Bratislava, 24 February (TASR) - Russia's aggression against Ukraine has brought destruction and terror, politicians from the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party emphasised at a press conference on Tuesday marking the fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. They declared that Slovaks stand on the side of Ukraine and again criticised a number of actions taken by Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) concerning this matter. "Slovakia isn't just Robert Fico. Slovakia is also us, who really care that our neighbours should know that they are important to us, that we stand behind them, and that we want Ukraine to win this bloody and repulsive war that [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is waging against them," said MP Vladimira Marcinkova (SaS). MP Juraj Krupa (SaS) also pointed to Russia's terror in this regard. "What we're seeing in Ukraine is the ugly face of Russian imperialism," he said, praising all those who are helping Ukraine and its people. 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