Local time on March 1st, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Fico, posted on social media reiterating his refusal to provide military and financial support to Ukraine. Fico stated that Slovakia "will not support Ukraine economically or militarily to continue the conflict", and European countries should enhance their own defense capabilities.
Fico also criticized the strategy of "peace through strength". He believes that this strategy is unrealistic and is just an excuse for "continuing the conflict". He thinks that "Ukraine will never be strong enough to negotiate with the other side using military strength."
In addition, Fico also said that Slovakia will push for an immediate ceasefire and "reach a final peace agreement" at the EU summit on March 6th. Fico warned that if the EU summit does not consider viewpoints other than "continuing the conflict", the negotiations may reach an impasse and fail to reach a consensus on the Ukraine issue.
He also hopes that Ukraine will reopen the Russian gas pipeline and once again emphasized that if the Russian gas supply cannot be restored, Europe will not be able to guarantee its competitiveness.