Blanar: EU Should Play More Active Role in Ukraine Peace Efforts

Bratislava, 8 September (TASR) - European Union leaders should have been more actively involved from the outset in efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine, as US play a much more significant role in the process today, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) declared in an interview with TASR TV. Blanar noted that Europe has invested considerable financial resources in supporting Ukraine. "At present, we basically don't have a seat at the table. We are simply paying all the costs associated with it. More than €260 billion has already gone from here to Ukraine," Blanar estimated. According to Blanar, he can also agree with his partners in the Visegrad Group (V4: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) on the need for a more active EU approach to the peace process, although each has its own view of how a ceasefire can be achieved. Blanar noted that Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic will not participate in guarantees for a €90 billion loan to Ukraine. "The Poles have decided that they will. You can see that despite having different views, we are still able to discuss these issues together," Blanar accentuated. Slovakia assumed the one-year V4 presidency on 1 July this year with an ambitious plan to organise meetings in the "V4 plus" format, in which a guest from outside the grouping is also invited alongside V4 members. This will provide an opportunity to hold a single event with political leaders from across the V4 region. "Of course, this must be based on an agreement among all four V4 members, otherwise it would make no sense," Blanar underlined. According to Blanar, there is considerable interest in talks in the V4 plus format. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar had even considered whether the V4 could be expanded, Blanar said. "We are more of the view that the V4 should remain as it is; it is a historical legacy. And we want to give it the V4 plus dimension, which has already proved successful," Blanar said. Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) also discussed the possibility of talks in the V4 plus format last week during a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Sofia. The opening ministerial event during Slovakia's current V4 presidency was expanded to include talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. "This meeting took place in Tomasov with all the ministers in attendance, including Anita Orban, Radoslaw Sikorski and Petr Macinka. It was a great success because Japan sees potential within the EU and is also interested in cooperation with it," Blanar said. He noted that the V4 represents a market of 65 million people within the European Union. "And Japan has more than 900 companies in V4 countries," he added. According to Blanar, V4 plus talks are being prepared with India, Spain and France. "Germany is also interested in holding such a meeting, as is South Korea, which has been cooperating with V4 plus for a long time," the minister said. Some talks will be organised on the sidelines of major multilateral events, while others will take place in Slovakia. A V4 plus meeting with Ireland, which holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, is scheduled to take place at Bratislava Castle on Thursday, 10 September. According to Blanar, Slovakia is also continuing preparations for a joint meeting of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments, which are expected to take place in Lviv, Ukraine. "We were already at a relatively advanced stage, but there was a change of Ukrainian prime minister. We have definitively agreed that it will be in Lviv and are waiting for a date," he said. mf