Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin, becoming only the third Western leader to meet the Russian leader since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Fico – a vocal critic of the European Union’s support for Kiev in the war – said they discussed supplies of Russian gas to Slovakia – on which his country relies.
A contract with Russian gas giant Gazprom to transport energy through Ukraine to Slovakia expires at the end of this year.
“Senior EU officials were informed of my trip and its purpose… on Friday,” Fico wrote on Facebook.
Fico said the meeting in Moscow was in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky telling EU leaders that Ukraine continued to oppose the pipeline of Russian gas through its territory.
The Slovak Prime Minister, who survived the shooting earlier this yearHe also said he had a “long conversation” with Putin and that the two “exchanged their views on the military situation in Ukraine.”
Both discussed “the possibilities of an early, peaceful end to the war” and mutual relations between Russia and Slovakia, Fico wrote on Facebook.
Slovakia and Hungary, both of which rely on Russian gas, have raised concerns about a possible disruption in supplies.
In October 2023, when Fico became prime minister again, he ended Slovakia’s military aid to Ukraine.
However, he stressed 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 met for a security summit on Sunday.
In his subsequent speech, Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Russia was a “permanent and dangerous threat” to the EU.
He also stressed the need for increased defense spending and support for Ukraine.
