Dear Prime Minister!
Thank you for this visit!
Dear journalists!
Today, the Prime Minister of Slovakia is in Ukraine, and we have had a substantive discussion. It is important that we have this dialogue, and we will certainly continue it. The Prime Minister of Slovakia has been to Uzhhorod before, but this is our first meeting, right here, and it is important to maintain a pragmatic approach in our work, as we did today. It is also crucial that this continues at the level of ministers and our institutions, not only at the level of leaders. In particular, we agreed to hold a session of the intergovernmental commission in October.
Today, we covered key topics – matters of principle for Ukraine and matters of principle for Slovakia. I informed the Prime Minister about our conversation yesterday with President Trump, as well as our work with the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing to advance peace and ensure Ukraine’s security – and therefore the security of all our neighbors. Russian aggression and attempts to destabilize the lives of Ukraine and other countries never end with a single state. We must do everything to ensure that the negative pages of history are not repeated for Ukraine, Slovakia, or other Central European countries.
The Prime Minister told me about his contacts in China. We have seen who was there, what was said, and how they behaved. It is important that Putin does not perceive such visits as an indulgence. Peace has no alternative, and we stand for peace. The war must be ended, and it is Russia – the only party that started this war and, unfortunately, continues to prolong it – that must end it. In Ukraine, we want peace. We count on support for our peace efforts, and Robert assured me that Slovakia will stand with us and other partners in this work for peace.
We discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, and it is good that Slovakia is ready to define its position on this and is open to dialogue with us. Most of Europe is already engaged in guarantees, and we are working with partners. We believe it would be appropriate for Slovakia to also be part of the new security system.
We also value Slovakia’s readiness to cooperate with us in the Shelter Coalition format. Thank you for this support. This primarily concerns schools and kindergartens in Ukraine. We will be grateful for this support, and it is important that our ministers ensure relevant results. It is excellent that we have this meeting, this opportunity to discuss various international issues.
We also hear from the United States about the significant role energy independence – Europe’s energy independence – plays for President Trump. This must be addressed, and it depends on everyone in Europe. Russian oil, just as Russian gas, has no future. If America continues to be just as decisive, it will bring a real change to the situation and be a factor that guarantees that Russia will not continue its war.
I want to note that Slovakia supports Ukraine on its path toward the European Union. Thank you for this support. It is highly significant for us. Negotiations are ongoing, and Ukraine deserves the opening of negotiation clusters. We see Ukraine’s accession to the EU as part of our security guarantees, and this is positively received by European institutional leaders in European capitals, and we are strongly supported in Washington. This is important. Thank you, Prime Minister, for supporting Ukraine’s EU path. We also share the view that Ukraine and Moldova must continue moving together toward EU membership.
Equally important is that bilateral cooperation on economic and infrastructure matters here, in our region, strengthens our peoples and our countries. Today, ministers discussed cross-border traffic – it is important to increase the capacity of border checkpoints. We also value our cooperation on energy sustainability – this concerns electricity imports for Ukraine to meet the needs of our people during Russian missile and drone strikes. It also concerns the export of our energy resources through the Slovak territory to third countries. And the more we work together, the better it will be for all of Europe. I am confident in this. The principle for Ukraine is simple: we are ready to ensure energy stability for Slovakia and other partners, and to have joint projects. Our only principle: no Russian energy resources.
And one more thing. Today, our railway workers achieved an important result – and I want to congratulate them – a new line, part of the European network, connecting Uzhhorod with Bratislava, Košice, Budapest, and Vienna. And this is just one of the initial steps in the actual integration of Ukraine’s railway into the EU network. We thank everyone who worked for this result, for this project. This is a joint project with the European Union. And ahead of us are thousands of similar projects. Ukraine will be part of the European Union. Absolutely.
Thank you once again, Prime Minister, for your visit.
Glory to Ukraine!
