Slovak Official Suggests “Russians in Kyiv” Would Be a More “Reliable Neighbor” Than Ukraine

Erik Kaliňák, Vice President of Slovakia’s ruling Smer-SD party and a Member of the European Parliament, stated that he sees no issue with “Russians being in Kyiv,” claiming it would mean having a “reliable neighbor.”

This was reported by Aktuality on March 6, citing Kaliňák statements to a journalist question about what it would mean for Slovakia if Russians were in Kyiv.

Kaliňák claimed that he does not want to see Russians at Slovakia’s borders. However, he considers Moscow a more reliable partner than Kyiv.

“I’ll be cynical and say that we would finally have a reliable neighbor. If you look at Slovak-Ukrainian relations and how many times we had to step in after they created economic conflicts with Russia, and how many times they failed to help us, then from this perspective, Russians are a more reliable partner for us,” Kaliňák said.

The Progressive Slovakia party commented on Kaliňák’s remarks, calling them a betrayal.

“Just like when Tibor Gašpar suggested leaving the EU, this is another moment when the Smer party reveals its true intentions for Slovakia,” the Progressive Slovakia party stated.

“Fico is distancing us from Europe, burning bridges with our allies, and handing us over to Putin and Trump. This is a betrayal. He has no legitimacy for this—this government must resign as soon as possible, and the only solution is early elections,” the party added.

At the beginning of February, thousands of Slovaks took to the streets in protest against the pro-Russian policies of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Demonstrations were being held in over 50 cities across the country.