Slovak government: Ukraine must give up territory

Tensions between EU member Slovakia and its eastern neighbor Ukraine continue to rise. Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak told TA3 television that Ukraine would have to give up part of its territory in order to achieve peace with Russia. This is the reality. It is in Slovakia’s interest that the war in Ukraine ends immediately and that there are negotiations and a ceasefire between the parties. There was initially no reaction from Kyiv.

Relations between the two countries have not been the best recently: Ukraine is stopping the transit of Russian gas at the beginning of the year, which is posing problems for NATO member Slovakia. Ukraine loses the transit fees that were still paid despite the war. But she wants to deprive Russia of the opportunity to earn money for its war effort by exporting gas to Europe.

The Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened Ukraine on Friday that his country could stop the supply of electricity in return. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj interpreted Fico’s threat as an order from the Kremlin. Fico visited Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week and was heavily criticized by the EU and Ukraine.

Kalinak further told broadcaster TA 3: “Ukraine probably doesn’t realize that it will never lie between Germany and Switzerland, but will always have its longest border with Russia.” Russia broke all the rules and violated international law with its attack, so there is no doubt who the aggressor was. “But we also need to see what happens in other regions and whether we apply the same standards to other disputes.”

The left-wing populist Fico repeatedly attracts attention through his public criticism of the West’s Ukraine policy. On Sunday, Fico repeated his threat against Ukraine in a letter to the EU Commission. Zelensky’s “tacit acceptance of the unilateral decision” to block the transit of Russian gas is wrong and irrational and will lead to “increased tensions and reciprocal measures,” he wrote. In his opinion, the interruption of gas transport would harm the EU more than Russia.

The parts of the western Russian Kursk region occupied by Ukrainian troops were once again the scene of heavy fighting. In total, there were 35 Russian attacks there during the day, as the General Staff in Kiev announced in its evening situation report. The attacks were massively supported by artillery. No information was given about the exact course of the front, nor were there any further details of the location.

Ukrainian troops took control of this area of ​​Russia in a surprise attack in the summer. The Russian military has been trying to retake these regions for weeks. Of the approximately 50,000 soldiers deployed by Moscow, around 10,000 fighters come from North Korea. According to the Ukrainian armed forces and Western observers, the troops provided by North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un recently suffered heavy losses.

Fierce fighting continues to rage in eastern Ukraine. The Pokrovsk region on the edge of the Donbass was in the sights of the Russian armed forces, which attacked the Ukrainian defense lines there 26 times during the day with the support of artillery and fighter aircraft. The generals in Kyiv said the attacks had been repelled.

The reports from the combat zones could not be independently verified. Russia has been waging a war of aggression against its neighbor Ukraine for almost three years.

At the request of the Ukrainian soldiers, the office of a military ombudsman is being created in the country as a direct contact for the troops. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj announced this in his video speech in the evening. What is needed is someone who will protect the rights of soldiers, he said. Together with the Ministry of Defense, he should be able to really help the soldiers and their families.

Up to now, Ukrainian soldiers have had no direct contact, especially when it comes to legal issues, and have often had to go through the lengthy official route from the trenches in the defensive battle against Russia’s army.

After the possible sabotage of an underwater power cable off Finland, the European Union is warning about Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told “Welt” that the EU would now “take stronger measures to counter the risks posed by these ships.” Russia’s shadow fleet threatens the environment and fills Russia’s war chest. Now these ships are also suspected of carrying out acts of sabotage.

Finnish investigators arrested the oil tanker “Eagle S” after the 170-kilometer-long EstLink2 power connection to Estonia was interrupted on Wednesday. The Finnish authorities suspect sabotage, the EU suspects intent. The ship sails under the flag of the Cook Islands. According to investigators, the damage to the cable could have been caused by the ship’s anchor. The Russian shadow fleet includes ships that Russia uses unofficially to circumvent sanctions – for example when transporting oil.