MEP Erik Kaliňák said he wouldn’t mind if the Russians reached Ungvár, a city in western Ukraine bordering Slovakia. He explained that he would like to finally have a “reliable neighbor” in a sharply worded ding towards Ukraine and its government.
The MP, who belongs to the Smer party led by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, made the comment on Thursday, which has already been criticized even by Slovak government officials, reported Hungarian newspaper Mandiner.
“I’ll be cynical and say that we would finally have a reliable neighbor. Because if we look at Slovak-Ukrainian relations and how many times we had to save them after they caused economic conflicts with Russia and how many times they couldn’t help us, then from this point of view, the Russians are a more reliable partner for us,” said Kaliňák.
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) March 5, 2025
This is the best takedown of Zelensky and European leaders' flawed "peace through strength" strategy you will watch today as Slovak PM Robert Fico calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.
"Three years for a comprehensive peace agreement? That's 300,000 dead! Maybe you… pic.twitter.com/BwI95Keiwq
The politician is one of Fico’s main advisors and made the comments in an interview.
MEP Kaliňák also stated that he would have no problem with the Russians reaching Kyiv, and while he said he did not generally want them to be on Slovakia’s borders, he added that he considered the Russians a more reliable partner than the Ukrainians.
The Ukrainian embassy in Bratislava has protested Erik Kaliňák’s comments, which it described as “shameful.” The Ukrainian embassy announced that it is preparing a diplomatic note and views the statement as questioning Slovakia’s commitment to complying with international law.
“At a time when the Ukrainian nation has been heroically resisting large-scale Russian aggression for four years and needs the support of the international community, a high-ranking representative of the ruling party of a neighboring country – who should be most interested in preserving an independent, sovereign and strong Ukraine – openly sides with the aggressor and calls for the occupation of the entire territory of the victimized country,” the embassy stated.
Kaliňák’s comments have sparked unprecedented criticism within his own political ranks. President Peter Pellegrini dismissed his comments, saying they should not be taken seriously because the 33-year-old Kaliňák is “very young and has only had a short time in politics.”
The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS/RE) branded Kaliňák’s words as treason.
“The vision of the current government is not a foreign policy directed towards all four cardinal points, but rather the transformation of Slovakia into a Russian province (Gubernia),” said opposition leader Michal Šimečka.
