Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has held one-on-one talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a surprise visit to Moscow, according to the Kremlin.
Fico discussed “a peaceful end to the war” in Ukraine, according to a Facebook post by the Slovak leader, who has been critical of the European Union’s support to Kyiv. He believes there is no military solution to the conflict that has drawn Western leaders, who see Russia as a security threat.
Fico said on Facebook after the meeting that top EU officials were informed of his trip, the third by an EU leader since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Previous visits by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in April 2022 and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban last July faced criticism from EU allies.
The Slovak leader said the trip came in response to talks last week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who, according to the Slovak leader, had expressed opposition to any gas transit through Ukraine to Slovakia.
At a summit in Brussels on Thursday, Zelenskyy told EU leaders that Kyiv has no intention of renewing the deal, something Fico insisted will harm his country’s interests.
“Russian President V Putin confirmed the readiness of the (Russian Federation) to continue to supply gas to the West and Slovakia, which is practically impossible after January 1, 2025 in view of the stance of the Ukrainian president,” Fico said.
Russian natural gas still flows to some European countries, including Slovakia, through Ukraine under a five-year agreement signed before the war that is due to expire at the end of this year.
Last month, Slovakia signed a short-term pilot contract to buy natural gas from Azerbaijan, as it prepares for a possible halt to Russian supplies through Ukraine. Earlier this year, it struck a deal to import United States liquefied natural gas through a pipeline from Poland.
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