Putin Agrees to Host Peace Talks Between Russia and Ukraine in Slovakia

On Thursday, January 6, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, announced that his country has positively responded to Slovakia's proposal to host peace talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion in March 2022. In recent days, Vladimir Putin hosted Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, who made an unexpected visit to Moscow. In an interview with the country's television, the Russian President stated that during this meeting, the Slovak Prime Minister informed him that Bratislava is ready to take action to hold peace negotiations. Putin added, 'We are not opposed if it comes to that stage. Why not? Especially since Slovakia has a neutral position.' The Ukrainian government has not yet reacted to this proposal. Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia occupied parts of the country on March 5, 2022. This action has been met with widespread condemnation from many countries around the world. The Biden administration has emphasized sending weapons to Ukraine in the final days of his presidency. Ukraine claims to have shot down 20 Russian drones. A ship linked to Russia has been seized on suspicion of damaging infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.