MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow was open to a Slovakian proposal to host peace talks with Ukraine to end a conflict that Russia was “determined to bring to a conclusion”.

Putin, who this week hosted Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in the Kremlin, said Fico, an outspoken opponent of European Union support for Ukraine, had offered his country as host for talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Putin said the Slovakian authorities “will be happy to provide their own country as a platform for negotiations. We are not opposed, if it comes to that. Why not? Since Slovakia takes such a neutral position.”

Slovakia is seen as one of a growing camp of central and eastern European EU member states that are sceptical of support for Ukraine, and supportive of negotiations with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly criticised Slovakia, which borders Ukraine, for the friendly tone Fico has struck towards Russia since his return to power after an election last year.

Putin has repeatedly said that Russia is open to talks to end the conflict with Kyiv, but that it would nevertheless “achieve its goals” in Ukraine.

Putin said that Russia could use the new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, known as Oreshnik, again but was in no hurry to do so.

“We do not exclude the possibility of using it both today and tomorrow, if necessary,” Putin said.

If necessary, he added, Russia could use more powerful intermediate-range weapons.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2024