The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers unacceptable the statements of the Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic, which question the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

It is unfortunate that the official of our friendly state, with which we have strong partnership relations, demonstrates a distorted perception of reality on the issue of Crimea, as well as on the need of sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation.

Talks about returning to business as usual with Russia, which grossly violated international law by forced seizing Crimea and launching an armed aggression in Donbas, only promote impunity and encourage Russia to continue its aggression.

The Slovak official's comments are at odds with Slovakia's official position and the EU's consolidated stance on deterring Russian aggression against Ukraine.

We demand that the Minister publicly refute his statements, which do not contribute to the development of friendly Ukrainian-Slovak relations.