Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico visited Russia’s Kremlin on Sunday, becoming the third EU leader to meet with President Vladimir Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The meeting comes after Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Austria’s Karl Nehammer have also met with Putin.
Fico’s trip to Russia follows a recent escalation of a dispute between him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over Ukraine’s decision to stop Russian gas transit through its territory by the end of 2024. Slovakia relies heavily on Russian gas, which it gets from Gazprom, a state-owned monopoly.
Fico stated that Zelenskyy’s actions could cause significant economic damage to Europe and criticized him for being “nervous” about preventing gas transit. He insisted that Slovakia would never allow Ukraine to join NATO.
This is the first EU visit by a leader since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, with Orbán’s July meeting drawing widespread condemnation. Fico’s visit highlights the ongoing tensions between Russia and Europe over Ukraine and energy policy.
Source: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/12/22/at-a-lapland-summit-eu-leaders-say-defence-spending-must-rise