Sending NATO troops to Ukraine may result in a new world war, Slovak National Council Deputy Speaker Tibor Gaspar has told Sputnik.
"Europe does not seem to have realized yet that the US policy regarding Russia is changing. There are countries interested in further escalation of tensions. I believe that their plans to send NATO troops to Ukraine may result in a new world war, although I do not think that there is a consensus on this issue in European countries," Gaspar said.
Europe is "unwell in economic terms," the official noted.
"We are not competitive because we have constantly adopted sanctions against Russia in the name of some kind of refusal from energy, from gas and from oil. Plants operating in Europe are not functioning competitively today as a result. I believe that this process will stop, and common sense will prevail in Europe," he pointed out.
The European Union's sanctions against Russia may be lifted, but this will not happen immediately, the lawmaker added.
"I think that the sanctions may be lifted, but it is not going to happen momentarily. It may be linked to the development of the peace process in Ukraine. But [other] EU countries have already seen that the sanctions harm them more than they harm Russia," he said.
The Slovak official also stressed that he personally supported lifting sanctions and resuming full-fledged trade with Russia. However, Slovakia, as an EU country, had to make concessions to Brussels in that regard, according to him.
Russia's Victory Day Truce Proposal Could Be Start of Peace Process
The three-day ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in World War II, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, could be the start of peace talks, Gaspar stated.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Russia's truce offer, saying that Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of foreign guests who will attend the May 9 parade in Moscow.
"I believe that these three days of truce could be the beginning of a [successful] peace negotiation process," Gaspar said.
The Slovak lawmaker added that he perfectly understood why Russia had decided to announce a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations, noting that Ukrainians are supposed to celebrate this holiday too, as they also suffered from Nazism.
"They should see where the truth is and whom they should thank for the fact that fascism lost in the end," he pointed out.