Slovak PM Fico meets Putin in rare visit by EU leader to Moscow

2024-12-23 08:02:50Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Slovak PM Fico meets Putin in rare visit by EU leader to Moscow
Robert Fico and Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin on Sunday with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since Russia's aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022.

Mr. Fico arrived in Russia for a "working visit" and met with President Putin face to face on Sunday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian RIA news agency.

According to the spokesman, the talks would focus on the "international situation" and the supply of Russian natural gas.

Visits and phone calls from European leaders with the Russian president have been rare since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, although Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Russia in July. Mr. Orban's visit was denounced by Kiev and European leaders.

Mr. Fico's views on Russia's war in Ukraine contrast with those of other European leaders. The Slovak prime minister returned to power last year after his leftist Smer (Direction) party won parliamentary elections on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform.

Since then, he has cut off his country's military aid to Ukraine, criticized EU sanctions on Russia and vowed to block Ukraine's membership in NATO.

The Slovak leader was also one of the rare senior EU politicians to appear on Russian state TV following Russia's intervention in Ukraine.

In an interview with the Rossiya-1 channel in October, he claimed that the West has "prolonged the war" by supporting Ukraine, adding that sanctions against Russia were ineffective.

He declared that he was ready to negotiate with Putin. He also pledged to take part in a military parade in Moscow next May that will mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

The Kremlin has used its annual "Victory Day" celebrations to highlight its battlefield prowess, and Putin hailed Russian troops fighting in Ukraine as "heroes" at this year's event.


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