As missiles hit, Slovak PM Fico claims there’s no war in Kyiv

(Reuters) – Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Tuesday insisted life in the Ukrainian capital was “absolutely normal” and there was no war, a day before his first meeting with the Ukrainian prime minister and just hours after Russian missiles fell on Kyiv.

Fico, who took power in October and reversed course on Slovakia’s foreign policy to halt military support for Ukraine, was speaking at a news briefing in eastern Slovakia. He is due to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, on Wednesday in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.

A reporter asked Fico if it would be appropriate for him to travel to Kyiv to better grasp Ukraine’s war with Russia, which is approaching its second year following an invasion by Moscow.

“There is a conflict that is localised,” Fico said.

He asked: “You seriously think there is war in Kyiv? You are joking, please, I hope you are not being serious. Go there and you will find out there is normal life in the city, absolutely normal life.”

He added it was more practical to meet in Uzhhorod, which he said the Ukrainian side picked after Fico first wanted to meet on the two countries’ shared border.

Fico has made statements in the past showing a pro-Russian stance. Many other foreign leaders have travelled to Kyiv – by train due to the dangers posed by air raids – to show support for Ukraine.

Since the start of the war, 967 air alerts have sounded in Kyiv, lasting a total of 1,133 hours. City transport is halted during such alerts and passengers asked to take cover. The metro and other underground areas operate as bomb shelters.

The din of air raids and alerts pierced the morning calm in Kyiv on Tuesday, and officials said 20 people, including a 13-year-old boy, were wounded. At least six people were killed in strikes on other cities.

While Fico has ended military aid to Ukraine, he has allowed supplies from the country’s arms and ammunitions makers to continue.

He has said military aid was prolonging the war and compromises were needed for peace – despite Ukrainian and western arguments that Ukraine would fall without western military support.

Fico has said Ukraine could get EU funding and conditionally endorsed Ukraine’s bid for EU membership, but has vowed to block its bid to join the NATO alliance.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague, additional reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague and Pavel Plityuk in Kyiv; Editing by Bernadette Baum)