Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin, becoming the third Western leader to meet the Russian leader since the all-out invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Fico, an outspoken critic of the EU’s support for Kiev in the war, said they discussed supplying Russian gas to Slovakia, on which it depends.
An agreement with Russian gas giant Gazprom to transport Ukrainian energy to Slovakia expires at the end of this year.
“On Friday, senior EU officials were informed of my journey and its purpose,” Fico wrote on Facebook.
Fico said the Moscow meeting was a reaction to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky telling EU leaders that Ukraine remained opposed to Russian gas being transported through its territory.
Prime Minister of Slovakia, Man shot dead earlier this year survivesHe also said he had a “long conversation” with Putin and the two “exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine.”
Fico wrote on Facebook that the two discussed “the possibility of an early and peaceful end to the war” and mutual relations between Russia and Slovakia.
Slovakia and Hungary, both dependent on Russian gas, have expressed concern about the prospect of supply disruptions.
In October 2023, when Fico becomes prime minister again, He ends Slovak military aid to Ukraine.
However, he insisted that he wanted to be a “good, friendly neighbor” to Ukraine.
Fico’s meeting with Putin came as the leaders of Italy, Sweden, Greece and Finland held a security summit on Sunday.
Finnish Prime Minister Petri Orpo later gave a speech saying that Russia was a “permanent and dangerous threat” to the EU.
He also stressed the need for increased defense spending and support for Ukraine.