Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Slovak Prime Minister Fico met with Putin in Russia, discussing Ukraine’s war, gas transit, and peaceful solutions while opposing Western sanctions on Russia.
Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico has conducted one-on-one discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a surprise stay in Russia. Robert Fico is consulted about “a peaceful end to the war” in Ukraine. He considers there is no military solution to the dispute that has drawn Western leaders, who witness Russia as a security threat.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister after the discussion that top EU officials were told of his journey. The Slovak leader expressed the trip came in reaction to talks last week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who, according to the Slovak leader, had voiced opposition to any gas transit via Ukraine to Slovakia.
Russian President Putin assured the readiness of the (Russian Federation) to persist to supply gas to the West and Slovakia, which is practically unattainable after January 1, 2025, given the stance of the Ukrainian president,
Fico expressed.
Russia spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to give more details on the discussions but stated that the situation with European countries purchasing gas through the transit deal through Ukraine was “a very difficult situation” needing “increased attention.”
The Slovak prime minister said that he and Putin swapped opinions on the military crisis in Ukraine, prospects of a peaceful end to the fighting, and Slovak-Russian relations that he stated he intends “to standardise”. Fico halted military assistance to Ukraine after coming to power in 2023, as he turned Slovakia’s foreign policy. He has also criticised Western restrictive measures against Russia.
