Slovakia and Ukraine Agree to Hold Bilateral Talks in Lviv

Slovakia and Ukraine have agreed to hold further bilateral talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, following a meeting between their respective government leaders. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, leader of the left-nationalist Smer-SD party, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko reached the agreement on the sidelines of a Ukraine reconstruction conference held Thursday in Gdańsk, Poland. The planned Lviv meeting marks a notable diplomatic development given the strained state of Slovak-Ukrainian relations. Fico has been one of the most vocal critics among European Union leaders of continued military aid to Ukraine, repeatedly calling for a negotiated end to the war with Russia and opposing arms deliveries to Kyiv. Despite this, Slovakia and Ukraine have maintained diplomatic contact, particularly over economic and energy issues following a dispute over Russian gas transit through Ukrainian territory.