Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that, once peace comes to Ukraine, normal relations must be established again with Russia, in an interview given to Brazil’s Folha de São Paulo newspaper while on an official visit to Brazil, published Dec. 10. He said: “I want to normalize relations with Russia and initiate a normal dialogue, as the current situation is far from normal. I guarantee that once the war ends, relations will be rebuilt based on mutual interests. Everyone will engage with Russia and seek to trade with them.” He made clear he does not want to see a new “iron curtain” created between Russia and the West and called for the conflict to be resolved through negotiations, reported TASS.
Fico added: “The West decided to take advantage of this conflict in order to weaken Russia, and sanctions were imposed. Billions of euros and dollars are being spent on Ukraine, which is receiving a lot of humanitarian aid and an abundance of weapons. What’s the result? Russian [troops] are seizing more and more territory, while sanctions aren’t working, and Ukraine can no longer hold talks from a strong position.”
