Slovak government Chief of Staff Juraj Gedra has acknowledged Bratislava’s backing of a UN resolution critical of Russia as an error.
Juraj Gedra, the Slovak government’s Chief of Staff, has issued an apology after Slovakia voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia, attributing the vote to a misunderstanding.
On the third anniversary of the conflict’s escalation in early 2022, the UN adopted two separate resolutions concerning the Ukraine situation on Monday. Slovakia supported the resolution put forward by Kiev and its EU allies, which condemned Russia’s “aggression” as a violation of the UN Charter and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops. The other resolution, backed by the US, called for a “swift end” to the conflict.
“It was a failure on our part,” Gedra stated in an interview with InfoVojna radio on Thursday.
“We want to apologize for the outcome and for the misunderstanding which arose,” he added. Gedra explained that the government had instructed Slovakia’s UN representatives to vote for the more neutral US resolution, but a miscommunication led to the error.
The Slovak National Party (SNS) criticized Slovakia’s vote, urging Prime Minister Robert Fico earlier in the week to formally apologize to Russia and launch an internal investigation into the apparent mistake. Under Fico, Slovakia, a NATO and EU member, has often diverged from EU policies on Ukraine, halting military aid to Kiev and recently offering to host peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
The SNS also called on Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanar to reconsider Slovakia’s UN representation following Monday’s vote. However, Blanar defended the country’s vote, arguing that the Ukraine-submitted text presented a “possible compromise.”
Serbia also apologized for voting in favor of the Ukraine-backed resolution at the UN, with President Aleksandar Vucic saying the vote occurred “by mistake.”
The UN Security Council ultimately passed the US-drafted resolution, with support from both Moscow and Washington, and five abstentions from European members. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia welcomed the resolution as a foundation for future peace efforts.
“The text we passed is not an ideal one, but in essence, it is a first attempt to have a constructive and future-oriented product by the Council which is talking about the path to peace, rather than blowing the conflict up,” he said.
US Deputy Ambassador Dorothy Shea also hailed the resolution as “a first step” toward peace in Ukraine, and criticized previous UN resolutions focused on condemning Russia for “failing to stop the war.”
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