Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. He is only the third Western leader to meet the Russian leader since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Fico – an outspoken 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 depends.
An agreement with Russian gas giant Gazprom on the transit of energy via Ukraine to Slovakia expires at the end of this year.
“Top EU officials were informed on Friday about my trip and its purpose,” Fico wrote on Facebook.
Fico said the meeting in Moscow was in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky telling EU leaders that Ukraine still opposes Russian gas being piped through its territory.
The Slovak prime minister, who survived the death earlier this year, also said he had a “long conversation” with Putin and that the two “exchanged 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 dependent on Russian gas, have expressed concerns about the prospect of supply disruptions.
In October 2023, when Fico became prime minister again, he ended Slovakia’s military aid to Ukraine.
But he has insisted he wants to be a “good, friendly neighbor” for Ukraine.
Fico’s meeting with Putin took place as the leaders of Italy, Sweden, Greece and Finland met for a security summit on Sunday.
Afterwards, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that Russia poses a “permanent and dangerous threat” to the EU.
He also emphasized the need for increased defense spending and support for Ukraine.
