EPASlovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin – only the third Western leader to meet a Russian leader since the all-out invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Fico – who strongly criticized the European Union’s support for Kyiv in the war – said they discussed the supply of Russian gas to Slovakia – which his country relies on.
The agreement with Russian gas company Gazprom to transfer energy from Ukraine to Slovakia will expire at the end of this year.
“Senior EU officials were informed of my visit and its purpose… on Friday,” Fico wrote on Facebook.
However, the visit has gone down badly with opposition parties at home and in Slovakia’s EU neighbor and Nato ally, the Czech Republic.
The Czech Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavsky, said that his government had gained independence from Russia, and that he was thinking of Ukrainians who could not spend Christmas with their loved ones because of Putin.
In Bratislava, Michal Simecka from Progressive Slovakia said that Fico has made his country a propaganda tool for the Russian leader and that his trip is “a shame for Slovakia and a betrayal of the country’s interests”.
The Prime Minister of Slovakia said that the meeting in Moscow was a response to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky telling the EU leaders that Ukraine is still opposed to Russian gas being piped through its territory.
Fico, who survived a shooting earlier this yearhe also said he “had a long conversation” with Putin and the two “exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine”.
The two discussed “the possibility of an early, peaceful end to the war” and relations between Russia and Slovakia, Fico wrote on Facebook.
Slovakia and Hungary, both dependent on Russian gas, have expressed concern about the possibility of supply disruptions.
In October 2023, when Fico becomes prime minister again, ended Slovakia’s military aid to Ukraine.
But, he stressed that he wants to be a “good, friendly neighbor” of Kyiv.
Fico’s meeting with Putin came as the leaders of Italy, Sweden, Greece and Finland met on Sunday for a security summit.
Speaking afterwards, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Russia was a “permanent and dangerous threat” to the EU.
He also emphasized the need for increased defense spending and support for Ukraine.
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