Slovak president believes Ukraine will have to lose some territories to achieve peace

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini believes that Ukraine may need to make territorial concessions to achieve peace and has called on Moscow and Kyiv to start negotiations immediately.

In an interview with STVR, Pellegrini stressed the need for a realistic approach to the situation.

"When it comes to peace, I believe it is necessary to be realistic. Today, probably no one in Europe among reasonable people believes that it will be possible to achieve peace without some partial territorial losses for Ukraine," the Slovak president said.

He explained that his opinion is shaped by daily reports from the frontlines.

Pellegrini also urged Ukraine and Russia to begin peace talks immediately.

Pellegrini, an ally of Prime Minister Robert Fico, served as prime minister from 2018 to 2020. In 2023, he formed a coalition with the populist, euroskeptic party Direction – Social Democracy (Smer-SD) led by Fico. On April 7, 2024, he won the presidential election against pro-Ukrainian former Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok with 53.12% of the votes.

On October 28, Polish President Andrzej Duda criticized representatives of some Western countries who call for Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia, suggesting they imagine themselves in Kyiv's position.

On November 8, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that a peaceful resolution to the full-scale war in Ukraine must include territorial integrity, and most EU countries oppose territorial concessions.