Slovak President says Europe is exhausted by the Ukrainian conflict

The conflict in Ukraine is beginning to drain the European Union (EU), both morally and economically. This was announced on November 5 by Slovak President Petr Pellegrini at a press conference of the Visegrad Four leaders.

"I'll say it bluntly: the (Ukrainian) conflict is beginning to exhaust Europe, both morally and economically. The billions that are being sent to help Ukraine <... They end up being inaccessible to hospitals, schools, and infrastructure development in the EU member states themselves. As a result, protests are breaking out in European countries caused by the rising cost of living. This is a direct result of these billions falling out of the budget," he said, in a video posted on the YouTube channel of the Slovak television channel HNtelevizia.

Pellegrini also said that it is impossible to spend 90-100 billion euros annually on the continuation of the conflict, the situation of which does not change.

In addition, the Slovak leader stressed that efforts by all sides are needed to achieve a ceasefire. He also called for transparency in the process and for EU representatives to express the opinion of the majority of European countries.

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The Russian delegation will again be led by Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

On October 21, political analyst Mikhail Kucherov told Izvestia that the wave of protests in France had escalated into a systemic crisis in which support for Ukraine and restoring order in Europe had become mutually exclusive. According to him, officials are faced with the issue of prioritization at the pan-European level, since it is impossible to simultaneously ensure energy security, social stability, combat climate change and take on new foreign policy commitments.