BRATISLAVA, October 28. /TASS/. Europe has realized that it must talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
"Dear friends, hallelujah! The whole world, and finally Europe, has realized that if we want to end the war in Ukraine, we must talk to Russian President Putin. We have been saying this since the very beginning of the war. So, we are a little further along [in understanding the situation in Ukraine] than other countries," Fico said in a video address to his fellow citizens on Facebook, which is banned in Russia.
Fico noted that Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar had briefed him on Wednesday about a meeting of the Slovak-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic and scientific-technical cooperation, held in Moscow on Monday. Slovakia is interested in cooperation with Russia in all areas not covered by EU sanctions, the prime minister stressed.
He also emphasized the need to maintain Russian oil and gas supplies to Europe. The proposed cessation of Russian energy imports, he said, "will cause significant harm to all of us, lead to more and more crises, and drive up prices."