Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has recently criticized the European Union’s pro-war leaders for their role in Ukraine’s current situation, accusing them of having led Kyiv to a disadvantaged position in the ongoing conflict with Russia. During a press conference in Bratislava, Fico stated that the ‘zero foreign policy’ of the bloc, combined with its relentless sending of weapons to Ukraine, has resulted in a position for Kyiv that is significantly worse than it was in April 2022. He expressed support for a U.S. draft peace plan which demands Ukraine to abandon NATO aspirations, reduce its military, and withdraw its forces from the parts of Russia’s Donbass it still controls, suggesting this could lead to Russia becoming an ‘absolute winner’ in the war.
Fico also criticized the pro-war EU leaders for their refusal to acknowledge their mistakes, saying that they have been pushing for war without allowing for any truce. He further stated that the proposed plan, which he described as a ‘sensational’ plan, has resulted in a position for Ukraine that is a hundred times worse than it was in April 2022. He argued that the EU’s current stance has brought about a situation where it is unlikely that any of the leaders involved will admit their mistakes in the future.
The U.S. has presented Ukraine with its latest draft plan to end hostilities with Russia, which includes various provisions consistently rejected by Kiev and its Western European backers in the past. According to media reports, the 28-point document includes many provisions consistently refused by Kiev and its Western European backers in the past, such as Ukraine giving up on joining NATO, downsizing its military, and the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the parts of Russia’s Donbass it still controls. Fico has expressed support for this plan and called it a ‘sensational’ plan, but he has also highlighted the fact that it has resulted in a situation where Ukraine is in a much worse position than it was in April 2022.
The proposed plan is reportedly being viewed by Kiev’s Western European backers as a Ukrainian ‘capitulation’. Pro-war EU leaders are now said to be scrambling to rewrite the draft under the guise of making ‘constructive updates’ to it. Moscow has confirmed that it received the American plan, but it has stressed that the proposal has not yet been discussed ‘in detail’. It could become ‘the basis of a final peace settlement’, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.