The European Union should focus on diplomatic solutions to the war in Ukraine, not arms deliveries, said new Slovak MEP Katarína Roth Neveďalová (Smer-SD/S&D). The latter notably opposed the recent resolution of the European Parliament on the preparation of an EU-Ukraine summit, in an interview for EURACTIV Slovakia.
Ms Roth Neveďalová, who had been a Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2014, has recently returned to this post, having just replaced Miroslav Číž, who died at the age of 68 last December.
“The European Union was founded on the idea of peace and friendship between countries that were previously constantly at war. It should provide a platform for debate rather than producing statements that are too radical,” said Ms Roth Neveďalová.
“It is obvious that member states are not entirely in favor of the continued arming of one of the parties to a conflict”, she added.
First Vote in The European Parliament
During her first vote in the European Parliament on February 3, Ms Roth Neveďalová voted against the European Parliament’s resolution on the preparation of an EU-Ukraine summit, indicating that “there were some things I was not disagree “.
“ I am a person who is more interested in the politics of peace than in that of war and weapons. I understand why we are sending weapons to Ukraine, but I also think that we should support a peaceful solution to the war more and focus more on the population,” she explained.
Ms Roth Neveďalová is a member of former Prime Minister Robert Fico’s social-democratic Smer-SD party — a vocal opponent of arms deliveries to Ukraine and who is on a Ukrainian list of EU politicians propagating Russian propaganda.
Ms Roth Neveďalová stressed, however, that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine should make it possible to return all occupied territories to Ukraine.
With snap elections slated for October, Smer-SD party leader Fico has not ruled out forming a coalition with the far-right Republika party.
Asked about her willingness to cooperate with the president of the Republika party and independent MEP Milan Uhrík, she said she saw no reason to do so, “ but if the Slovak national interest is at stake, all Slovak MEPs should unite “.
This article is originally published on euractiv.fr
