On April 19 (local time), Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he still supports Ukraine's plan to join the European Union (EU), but emphasized that Kiev is not yet ready to become a member of the bloc.
Speaking in a video posted on Facebook, Mr. Fico said Ukraine is "not completely ready" to join the EU at the present time.
According to the Slovak Prime Minister, Ukraine needs to fully meet the criteria for a candidate country before it can go further in the negotiation process.
Mr. Fico did not specify the conditions that Ukraine still lacks. However, according to EU regulations, candidate countries must meet a series of standards related to the rule of law, judicial reform, anti-corruption, political stability, economic capacity and the bloc's common law enforcement capacity.
Ukraine was officially granted candidate status by the EU in 2022, just months after the conflict with Russia broke out. By the end of 2023, EU member states agreed to open accession negotiations with Kiev.
However, this process is assessed to last for many years because Ukraine still faces a series of difficulties in economy, infrastructure, state governance and especially the war situation that has not ended.
Some EU member states are also concerned that the too-fast admission of Ukraine could create great pressure on the bloc's common budget, especially in the fields of agriculture and development assistance.
In addition to the issue of joining the EU, Mr. Fico continued to call for an early ceasefire in Ukraine.
According to him, a peace agreement needs to be built on conditions that Ukraine can accept.
In the past time, the Slovak Prime Minister has repeatedly expressed a cautious view on the conflict. He once opposed military aid to Kiev and said that the parties should prioritize negotiated solutions instead of continuing to prolong the war.
After returning to power in 2023, Mr. Fico also announced that Slovakia would not send more weapons to Ukraine from its military reserves.
However, Bratislava still maintains humanitarian aid and trade activities with Kiev.
Mr. Fico's latest statement shows that Slovakia still supports Ukraine's long-term goal of joining the EU, but wants this process to take place cautiously and based on fully meeting the bloc's standards.
