Carmen Valero Berlin

Berlin

Updated Wednesday, January 24, 2024-20:43

The Slovak Prime Minister, the left-wing populist

Robert Fico

,

will not block the 50 billion euro aid

negotiated by the European Union (EU) for

Ukraine

, which will be discussed again in Brussels on February 1, but he has hinted at some opposition to that these funds come out of the Union budgets.

"There are very interesting proposals on the table that deserve to be discussed," Fico said in a joint appearance

with Chancellor Olaf Scholz

.

The only known proposal is that of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, who already vetoed the approval of that package in January, although he has nothing against granting Ukraine those 50,000 million in four years.

Orban asks to remove them from the budgets.

Fico, closer to Orban's ideas regarding Ukraine than to those of the rest of the partners, arrived in Berlin after

meeting hours before in the Ukrainian city of Uzhhoro with his colleague Denis Shmigal

, and with a clear conclusion: the war will not be It will be resolved by military means and as long as there is no pressure towards a peace agreement, there will only be unnecessary deaths.

"The Ukrainian authorities have acknowledged to me that the war is frozen and that most likely this year there will be no major advances, to which I asked if they have a plan B to put an end to so much destruction and deaths. The answer

was war, war and war

" , Fico has revealed.

Furthermore, he specified that he was speaking as Prime Minister of Slovakia to request peace negotiations and not on behalf of anyone.

"I do not follow the interests of Russia, Ukraine, or the United States and I do not have to agree with other major European partners," he added.

And it certainly does not coincide with Germany.

Scholz has not only reiterated that he will continue to supply weapons to kyiv, but has encouraged other EU countries to increase theirs.

"The war in Ukraine can end tomorrow. It is enough for Russia to withdraw

," is the mantra adopted by the Berlin Executive.

Solidarity with Ukraine

Fico, accused of being pro-Russian, recalled that Slovakia is Ukraine's neighbor and "perhaps" can have a more accurate view of the situation.

"Slovakia wants Ukraine to be a democratic and prosperous country because that will benefit us as neighbors and therefore Europe, but

I will not support actions contrary to the interests of Slovaks

," Fico declared.

To make clear his solidarity with Ukraine and the EU, he has claimed to have said

yes to European funds and to Kiev's accession negotiations

to the EU, although this country "is very far from meeting the Copenhagen criteria that were applied to smash my country and all the others."

Scholz has ignored Fico's double meaning comments as a good host, except for the need to stop the war.

"It is very easy, it is enough for Russia to withdraw," insisted the chancellor, who this Wednesday had a telephone conversation with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to discuss the signing of a bilateral security agreement.

Scholz has not mentioned the details because "you first have to have the documents in hand"

Fico, opposed to the supply of weapons to Ukraine, which he cut off as soon as he entered the Government, did not repeat in Berlin what Shmigal has declared in his country and promised, that is, that he will allow Ukraine to purchase weapons and military equipment on the market Slovak.

He has also not mentioned his proposal to Ukraine to give up part of the territories annexed by Russia to end the conflict.

"Slovakia will support any peace initiative, including the one promoted by Zelensky, even though he said it would be legitimate to have 'doubts' about him.