Slovak Minister Juraj Blanar says his country is ready to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks

"We are clear that this conflict has no military solution. Now, after three years of this invasion, it proves that we are right. We need to immediately start a ceasefire and continue with peace negotiations," he said.

He said these measures could end the 'senseless killings' in Ukraine which has been going on for the past several years since the conflict with Russia began in 2022.

"If there is any possibility of a peace talks at a lower level, just for preparations, then Slovakia is ready to offer its territory for that," he said.

Juraj Blanar made the remarks while visiting the eastern Indian city of Kolkata where he inaugurated the Honorary Consulate of the country.

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As part of this diplomatic expansion, Vivek Lohia, Managing Director of Jupiter Group, has been appointed as the Honorary Consul General of the Slovak Republic in Kolkata.

Apart from Blanar, Ladislav Kamenicky, Minister of Finance of the Slovak Republic,  Róbert Maxian, Ambassador of Slovakia to India, attended the inauguration event.

Zelenskyy

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russian President Vladimir Putin must stop all unnecessary demands that prolong the war.

"Putin must stop making unnecessary demands that only prolong the war and must start fulfilling what he promises the world," Zelensky says via video call as quoted by BBC.

Ukraine Financial Aid

The European Commission said it has disbursed an additional €1 billion ($1.1 billion) tranche of its exceptional Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan to Ukraine, to be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian State assets in the EU, reinforcing the EU's role as the largest donor since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission said: “With today's payment of €1 billion, we are reiterating our steadfast commitment to Ukraine."

The President said, "We are helping the country's economy stay on course and rebuild critical infrastructure damaged by Russian aggression. We will keep supporting Ukraine as long as it takes."

Guterres Welcomes Deal

UN chief António Guterres on Thursday hailed positive announcements from the White House, Kremlin and Kyiv aimed at stopping crippling attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia, linked to Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.

“Any ceasefire is welcome because it saves lives, but it is essential that a ceasefire paves the way for a just peace in Ukraine,” the UN Secretary-General said in Brussels, where he also addressed the massive Israeli escalation in Gaza and urged the world not to give up on slowing climate change.

A “just peace” in Ukraine “is a peace that respects the UN Charter, international law and Security Council resolutions, namely about the territorial integrity of Ukraine”, the UN chief stressed, after meeting leaders of the 27 member states of the European Union, during a working lunch as part of a European Summit in Brussels.

His comments followed an earlier statement in which he welcomed further declarations by President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine seeking to extend the ceasefire to the Black Sea – a crucial trade route for food and fertilizer exports to the wider world.

“Reaching an agreement on safe and free navigation in the Black Sea, with security commitments and in line with the UN Charter and international law would be a crucial contribution to global food security and supply chains,” the Secretary-General said, in a statement issued by his spokesperson’s office.

“It would reflect the importance of trade routes from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation to global markets.”

(Reporting by Supriyo Hazra/IBNS)