Ruptly
"Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico declared it's too early to discuss Ukraine's assertion to the European Union (EU), emphasising exciting opposition inside the block in his address from Bratislava on Monday, released ahead of meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Yerevan. "The coalition has never dealt with Ukraine's membership in the European Union. Therefore, I respect that there may also be a dismissive attitude within the coalition. Furthermore, there is no need to cross that bridge until we come to it," he stated. "If Ukraine does not have the prospect of stable and democratic development after the end of the war, thousands of mercenaries with vast military experience, weapons of all kinds, and no prospects may seek a way out in organised crime and its natural spillover into the European Union, with Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary being the closest," Fico continued. "I really do not want this." It comes after Zelensky spoke with Fico on the phone on Saturday, May 2. Zelensky later wrote on X, "Slovakia supports Ukraine's EU membership and is ready to share its own experience of the accession process." Commenting on the current state of relations between Bratislava and Kiev, the Prime Minister noted they are defined by "diametrically opposed views on several topics, such as the war in Ukraine itself, the halted gas transit, or military loans." "It is notoriously known all over the world that, as Prime Minister, I refused to support the 90 billion war loan to Ukraine, and I also took other legal steps to ensure that Slovakia would not participate in this loan. Anyone who claims otherwise is deliberately misleading and seeking conflict," Fico added. The Slovakia-Ukraine ties were recently severed by the Druzhba pipeline feud, with Hungary and Slovakia claiming Ukraine was halting supplies through the oil pipeline for political reasons. Kiev alleged that it was damaged in a 'Russian strike'. However, Orban was defeated in April by Peter Magyar - in an election marred by allegations of EU and Ukrainian interference, and even an apparent death threat for Orban from Zelensky himself. Last week, Zelensky announced that the pipeline had been somehow 'fixed' and oil would now start flowing, with the EU signing off the loan within days. Fico and Zelensky are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Armenia-EU summit in Yerevan on Monday. The Ukrainian President also invited the Slovak leader to visit Kyiv ahead of his trip to Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day parade."
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