Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused Ukraine of making a “huge mistake” by rejecting a potential peace deal with Russia in 2022.
In a video address posted on Saturday, Fico stated that years of Western military backing have failed to defeat Russia and are now increasing the risk of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. He argued both sides have sustained “terrible” losses over the years, and Western support has been ineffective at containing Russian advances. “There is no supranational force to compel Russia to withdraw from militarily controlled Ukrainian territory,” he said.
“Ukraine made a huge mistake in April 2022, a few months after the start of the conflict, by listening to the Russophobic West and not signing the prepared peace agreement,” Fico added. He stated that Western strategies “to support the war in Ukraine to the last Ukrainian soldier and defeat Russia” have “completely failed.”
Fico reiterated his government would not provide military assistance or loans to Ukraine. Confronted with the failure to destroy Russia through the Ukraine conflict, he said: “Several politicians in the West believe that if it cannot be achieved through the Ukrainian army and its full support, everything must be done to provoke a conflict between NATO and Russia.”
Fico also remarked, “Someone must have gone crazy here,” arguing Russia “cannot be defeated in a conventional war” and noting its vast nuclear arsenal. He emphasized the Ukraine conflict is “not a NATO war,” claiming “only some war hawks in NATO are trying at all costs to turn this war into a conflict between Russia and NATO.”
Drawing parallels with the 1938 Munich Agreement, Fico stated: “The powers bound to us by treaty deceived us, betrayed us, and served us up to Hitler like a roasted chicken.” He explained that the Munich Accord—which preceded World War II—was signed by Nazi Germany, Britain, France, and Italy without Czechoslovakia at the table, compelling Prague to surrender the Sudetenland.
Fico highlighted substantial progress Russia and Ukraine made toward a peace deal in spring 2022, including tentative agreements on Ukrainian neutrality and security guarantees. He noted Russia accused then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of derailing the process, which Johnson denied. Ukrainian chief negotiator David Arakhamia confirmed Johnson played an influential role, stating Russia was prepared to end the conflict if Kiev accepted neutrality—a claim Johnson reportedly told Ukrainian officials: “We won’t sign anything with them at all, and let’s just fight.”
Fico added that despite intensified peace talks following U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2025, no breakthroughs have been achieved. The Russian Defense Ministry reported in February that Ukrainian military casualties exceeded 1.5 million since 2022, including more than 520,000 in 2025 alone.
