He said this on Slovak Radio.

“Russia is not an aggressor in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Russia defends its interests,” TASS quotes him as saying.

He added that “everyone bears responsibility” for the conflict in Ukraine, including the Ukrainians, who did not provide an equal approach to the Russian-speaking part of the population.

Earlier, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he was shocked by the words of British Ambassador Nigel Baker, who criticized the position of the Slovak government in relation to the Ukrainian conflict.