V4 Group to hold diplomatic talks despite diverging views on Russia-Ukraine

The foreign ministers of Czechia, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary – collectively known as the Visegrad Group (V4) – will hold diplomatic talks in Prague on Thursday despite sharply differing views on Russian aggression in Ukraine.

While Czechia and Poland have positioned themselves as the biggest supporters of Ukraine and harsh opponents of Russia, Slovakia and Hungary have made no secret of their sympathies for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I admit that we have not found a common position that the V4 could promote together for a long time. But that does not mean we should not meet,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates, Greens) told Euractiv Czechia.

The meeting will occur in Prague as Czechia holds the Visegrad rotating presidency.

“It is the job of foreign ministers to be able to talk diplomatically. Our role is not to push things to the extreme but to look for the lowest possible common denominator,” Lipavský added.

As Lipavský informed, ministers should discuss infrastructure, people-to-people cooperation, and support for Ukraine.

“It is no secret that the policies of Czechia, on the one hand, and Slovakia and Hungary, on the other hand, have diverged fundamentally, especially on the rhetorical level,” Lipavský noted.

For example, Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár recently held talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Turkey. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has opposed sending state military aid to Ukraine, said the meeting was an example of Slovakia’s balanced and sovereign foreign policy.

Pro-Russian attitudes are also expressed by Hungary, which has blocked EU sanctions against Moscow on several occasions. Last year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Putin and the Hungarian foreign minister also met with his Russian counterpart.

Slovakia and Hungary have also criticised the EU for funding arms deliveries to Ukraine, accusing the bloc of promoting war at the expense of peace.

Nevertheless, Lipavský is convinced that the links between the Visegrad countries should be maintained for further cooperation. He also emphasised that all four countries are NATO and the EU members.

Visegrad is alive, Slovak government says

While the Czech Republic is not burying Visegrad cooperation, Slovakia is calling for a revival of the alliance.

“From its first days, the government under the leadership of Robert Fico has emphasised the need to revitalise the V4, which it considers a successful project,” a Slovak Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Euractiv Slovakia.

The Slovak Ministry also emphasised that it would like to use the Visegrad meeting to discuss illegal migration or EU enlargement.

“The forthcoming meeting of foreign ministers in Prague proves that the V4 is a functioning grouping. It is true that we in the V4 have different views on some issues, for example, on the question of achieving peace in Ukraine,” the Slovak ministry added.

“The V4 is not a homogenous bloc in which countries must have the same opinion on all topics. That is why we respect the sovereign views of our partners and continue to build the V4 on the issues on which we agree,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, bilateral relations between Czechia and Slovakia deteriorated after the Czech government postponed joint intergovernmental negotiations.

On the contrary, the pro-Ukrainian Czech and Polish governments are now becoming closer, evidenced by the fact that Czechia’s Lipavský will meet his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski on Wednesday, the day before the V4 meeting.

(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz, Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)