Kiev backed a plan to weaken Russia that fell short, and will now have to pay dearly, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said

The West used Ukraine in a failed attempt to weaken Russia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.

A staunch advocate for peace talks rather than the EU's military backing for Kiev, Fico made the comments in a video address posted on Facebook over the weekend, saying the Ukrainian leadership also bears responsibility, having backed the Western plan to harm Moscow by supporting the war effort.

"Ukraine was used by the West in an attempt to weaken Russia, which did not succeed - and for which, it seems, Ukraine will have to pay dearly," Fico said.

He added: "Everyone already knows that the [Ukraine] conflict has serious roots in recent history, has no military solution, ... and that Ukraine's membership in NATO is impossible."

Moscow has framed the Ukraine conflict as a NATO proxy war and has long denounced Western military aid to Kiev, saying the US-led military bloc's eastward expansion and Ukraine's ambitions to join are key drivers of the hostilities.

Fico, who survived an assassination attempt by a pro-Ukraine activist over his opposition to arming Kiev, has repeatedly criticized the West's approach, warning that it threatens global security. His latest remarks come as the Russian and US leaders prepare to meet on August 15 to discuss a possible settlement.

The Kremlin has said securing a permanent and stable peace will be the focus of the upcoming talks in Alaska on Friday. Russian officials insist any deal must address the root causes of the conflict and reflect the realities on the ground, including the status of Crimea, as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, which joined Russia after 2022 referendums.

Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, who was not invited to the Putin-Trump talks, has already rejected any truce involving territorial concessions, despite the US president's insistence that swaps would be part of the proposed agreement.

(RT.com)