Ukraine, Slovakia vow to keep “pragmatic dialogue” alive despite Putin talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met in the city of Uzhhorod for what was described as a meaningful and pragmatic dialogue between the two neighboring countries.

“Thank you for this visit. We had a substantive conversation. It is important that this dialogue exists. We will continue it,” President Zelenskyy said following the talks, underscoring the importance of ongoing engagement with Slovakia, RBC-Ukraine reports.

Zelenskyy noted that he had briefed Fico on his recent conversation with US President Donald Trump, as well as on the outcomes of the Coalition of the Willing meeting—an alliance of states supporting Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression.

The Ukrainian leader emphasized the need for both Kyiv and Bratislava to maintain a results-oriented approach in bilateral relations: “Ukraine and Slovakia must maintain a pragmatic nature of work both at the level of leaders and at the level of governments,” he stated.

The meeting, reported by media to have commenced at approximately 15:50 local time, came at a sensitive moment, following Prime Minister Fico’s controversial meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week. Fico had previously hinted that he would bring “a message and conclusions” from that encounter to his Ukrainian counterpart, sparking speculation about the potential content and tone of his diplomatic outreach.

By Vafa Guliyeva