At the beginning of May, former dissident and former Slovak Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Ján Čarnogurský took part in a debate in Oxford after being invited by The Oxford Union Society as one of the speakers in a discussion on the war in Ukraine. “They invited me as an Eastern European who, regarding the war in Ukraine, supports the Russian side,” Čarnogurský admitted.
The society is one of Oxford’s most prestigious student societies. Among those who have previously spoken there are US Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, and several British prime ministers, including Margaret Thatcher. The debate, held under the motion “This House would rather recommend war with Russia than the loss of Ukraine,” attracted around 400 students, well above the society's usual attendance. During the event, Čarnogurský also met Daniel Fried, the American diplomat who served as President Bill Clinton’s adviser on Eastern Europe in the 1990s. The debate was lengthy, with numerous arguments presented on both sides of the motion. The final vote ultimately favoured Ukraine.
ad
