The current ceasefire brokered in Ukraine should be followed by the loosening of some of the economic sanctions against Russia, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico on RTVS's politics show 'O pat minut dvanast' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. These concessions in sanctions should be at least symbolic, said Fico, who is ready to discuss the violation of international law in Crimea with Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is slated to visit Slovakia in April. Fico envisions, for instance, the withdrawal of a ban on entry to the EU for some representatives of the Russian Federation, as the embargo in question precludes the option of holding a dialogue. "Economic and financial sanctions, that's all okay, but if we talk about representatives of relevant countries, these people should have more freedom", said the prime minister.
Fico pointed out that sanctions against Russia have caused damage to a number of firms in Slovakia, and many people have lost their jobs as a result. "I'm aware that some sacrifices must be made, but we have a right to express our opinion. Have the sanctions changed anything in Russia's stance? I don't think so", he added. Most-Hid chair Bela Bugár, who also appeared on the show, is convinced that no other options than sanctions exist, however. "If sanctions hadn't occurred, it's questionable whether Russia wouldn't already have half of Ukraine. Solidarity comes at a cost. I'm not happy about the loss of jobs either, but this is about solidarity", stressed Bugár, adding that there is no military solution in the case of Ukraine, but the developments in the country must be discussed openly. "Every state needs to have a right to defend its territorial integrity. If it was important for us to have a free choice about where we wanted to belong, then the same right must be recognised for Ukraine. There are no other options in my view but to communicate to Russia that it's violating agreements". Fico pointed out that Slovakia is a small country with a small army and that its best weapon lies in international law. "International law was grossly violated in Crimea; [the independence of] Kosovo also didn't occur in accordance with international law. Maybe the solution could be some special arrangement such as a federation for some regions of Ukraine, such as Donetsk and Luhansk. However, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be maintained", underlined Fico.
Opposition MP Ľudovít Kaník (SDKU-DS) however was unimpressed with the prime minister's comments, suggesting that a unified response is needed against Russia. "[Fico] talked about the need to loosen sanctions against Russia, despite the fact that it's Russia and the separatists that it supports that constantly violate the brokered ceasefire in Ukraine. Putin's policies are the source of constantly growing danger to European-wide peace", said Kaník.
The MP believes that cutting sanctions at a time when Putin is mocking the whole of Europe and the world with his policy of violating international law would mean a victory for Putin. The Opposition MP suggested the prime minister is again "acting like Putin's agent and not as a representative of an EU- and NATO-member country".
