Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met unannounced for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Sunday (see video above). Russian state television reported this.
It is the first trip of an official representative of the Slovak Republic to Russia since the attack on Ukraine in February 2022. According to unconfirmed reports, Fico was only expected in Moscow in the coming days.
There was initially no official information about the content of the conversations. Fico might have wanted to talk to Putin about the supply of natural gas, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested.
The Slovak Prime Minister, who is often criticized by his opponents as ‘pro-Russian’, also wants to travel to Moscow next spring. The government office in Bratislava announced at the end of November that he had accepted an invitation to the World War commemoration on May 9, 2025.
The EU-NATO country Slovakia borders directly on Ukraine. Unlike Hungary, Slovakia has so far supported all aid to Ukraine decided by the EU, as well as all sanctions against Russia, without exception.
Critic of the EU and NATO’s Ukraine policies
In stark contrast, left-wing populist Fico repeatedly draws attention for his public criticism of the EU and NATO’s Ukraine policies. He has repeatedly called on the European Union to broker peace rather than “prolong the killing and destruction in Ukraine” through arms deliveries.
In terms of population, Slovakia was one of the most committed military supporters after the start of the Russian invasion of its neighbor. After returning to government in October 2023, Fico ended direct arms supplies from army stockpiles. However, the Slovak defense industry continues to produce military goods for Ukraine on a commercial basis.
The trip to Moscow causes outrage among the opposition
Slovak opposition politicians reacted with outrage to Fico’s trip to Moscow. “The prime minister should discuss gas transit for Slovakia in Kiev,” Michal Šimečka, head of the main opposition party, told TASR news agency.
However, with his visit to Putin, Fico is “just playing a theater of lies for his voters,” said the head of the liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS). “And in doing so he is betraying his own country and leading us away from Europe step by step.”
“Fico is a shame for Slovakia”
Branislav Gröhling, head of the smaller liberal opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), formulated his criticism even sharper: “Robert Fico is a shame for Slovakia. He does not behave like a head of government of a sovereign country, but like an ordinary collaborator.” Fico does not speak for the entire Slovak nation, he emphasized.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
