A group of Slovenian public figures has urged the government to call on the EU and NATO to come up with a strong diplomatic and political peace initiative and send a delegation to Moscow to assess Russia's willingness to negotiate.

The group's open letter is addressed to Prime Minister Robert Golob and his cabinet. It was signed by more than 40 people, including philosopher and sociologist Spomenka Hribar and politician and journalist Aurelio Juri.

The government should prepare a concrete cease-fire initiative that would enable negotiations on the future co-existence between the EU and Russia, the letter reads.

Merely insisting on sanctions against Russia leads only to prolonging and escalating the war in Ukraine and aggravating the hardships there and in the EU, the group said, noting that amid threats of using nuclear weapons, the situation was dangerously close to a catastrophe of unimaginable dimensions.

The letter criticises the government, saying that it has completely adopted its predecessor's policy on this issue. In the name of unity in the EU and NATO, the previous government blindly and uncritically followed whatever was decided by these two alliances under the leadership of US policy.

The outcome of the April general election showed that people wanted a different approach to leadership, including in foreign affairs and particularly on this matter that is "the key and perhaps fatal challenge facing humanity".

The current government has been urged to call on the EU and NATO to hold talks with the Kremlin, a project in which Slovenia would actively participate. In the event this does not materialise, the government should not endorse new sanctions against Russia or further military aid to Ukraine, the group said.

Europe is applauding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he is saying thanks for the aid and asking for additional support, which is understandable and a right thing to do, but Europe should also show its disapproval when Zelensky labels Russian tourists as war criminals and terrorists who should not enter Europe, the letter reads.

Russian refugees should be treated the same way as Ukrainian refugees, especially now in the light of Russia's mobilisation of army reserves, the group said, adding that Zelensky's bid for Ukraine's fast-tracked NATO membership should be unequivocally rejected.

The actions by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country's military should be condemned, the group highlighted, saying that by attacking Ukraine, an independent and sovereign country, Russia had committed a crime for which Putin should be held accountable.

However, now, amid nuclear threats, reflection is needed on how to proceed, the group warned.