Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said peace in Ukraine could be obtained only through compromise, including territorial concessions.
In a December 15 interview with the broadcaster Slovak Television and Radio, Pellegrini said, as translated by the Ukrainian news site Ukrainska Pravda: “When it comes to peace, I think we need to remain realistic. Probably no one in Europe among reasonable people today believes that peace can be achieved without some partial territorial losses for Ukraine.”
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to return to office on January 20, has repeatedly vowed to end the yearslong Russia-Ukraine conflict “within 24 hours.” According to Reuters, Trump’s advisers have devised possible peace plans for Ukraine that reflect sentiments similar to Pellegrini’s, with Kyiv conceding some territory and abandoning its application to join NATO.
The Slovak president also discussed how the conflict was escalating between the warring countries, saying the “territorial shifts are relatively significant” and that the Russian army was gaining in terms of advancements.
He also said he disagreed with U.S. President Joe Biden’s authorization for Kyiv to use long-range weapons when conducting deep strikes into Russian territory because of Slovakia’s shared border with Ukraine. If a long-range weapon were used in Kyiv, he added, its ramifications would be felt in his country.
Pellegrini, in agreement with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, previously spoke out against Ukraine joining NATO, saying in October that immediate ascension was “not realistic” during wartime, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Newsweek contacted Slovakia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment via email. Newsweek also contacted Trump’s transition team for comment via email outside normal business hours.
Slovakia provided significant support for Ukraine after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022, sending upwards of $700 million of direct military aid to Kyiv during the first 19 months of the war
However, that support has waned. Last year, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico pledged to stop sending military aid to Ukraine, and in November 2023, the Slovak government rejected a $43 million aid package to Kyiv.
“I will support zero military aid to Ukraine,” Fico said, adding: “An immediate halt to military operations is the best solution we have for Ukraine. The EU should change from an arms supplier to a peacemaker.”
Fico has also spoken out against placing sanctions on Russia. Pellegrini, an ally of the prime minister, was elected president of Slovakia earlier this year. He previously served as Slovakia’s prime minister, the minister of education, science, research and sport, and the state secretary of the Ministry of Finance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he would pursue a ceasefire deal with Russia if NATO accepted Kyiv’s request for membership and it could address occupied territories diplomatically at a later stage.
He also specified that NATO’s membership invitation would have to recognize Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, even as parts of its eastern territories would remain under Russian occupation.
The post Ukraine Will Have to Give Up Territory for Peace: NATO Leader appeared first on Newsweek.
