Many Slovak Citizens Supporting Moscow in Conflict With Kiev, Former PM Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Slovakia is a friend of Russia, and a lot of our residents support Moscow in the conflict with Kiev, former Slovak Prime Minister Jan Charnogursky told Sputnik.

"There is one serious fact - in September of this year a public opinion poll was held in Slovakia. According to the poll, 52%, and therefore the majority of Slovaks, voted for the support of Russia in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict," Charnogursky said.

At the same time, Charnogursky noted that there is a growing understanding in Western countries of the seriousness of the situation around Ukraine.

"Already there [in the United States], people are voting to reduce military support to Ukraine. But, on the other hand, everything that can be understood as Ukraine's success is used there as a continuation of the previous policy of total support for Kiev," Charnogursky added.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. Moscow noted that it started the op to stop the eight-year-long war, waged by Kiev against the people of Donbass.