"In a long conversation ... Putin and I exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine, the possibilities of an early peaceful end to the war, and on mutual relations between the Slovak Republic and the Russian Federation,

Fico’s views on Russia’s war on Ukraine differ sharply from most other European leaders. Slovakia's prime minister returned to power last year after his leftist party won parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in his evening address on Monday, 23 December, has once again criticised Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who on 22 December held talks with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin regarding gas supplies.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico met one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin on Sunday with Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in 2022.

Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one on Sunday evening.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin on Sunday with Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico (shown here in Brussels in February 2024), in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

Slovakia's Prime Minister visits Moscow to ensure gas supply as the Ukraine-Russia gas transit deal nears expiration, defying the EU and highlighting the country's energy dependence on Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to advance a campaign aimed at undermining Western unity in support of Ukraine, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Zelenskiy blasts Slovak's Fico over reluctance to drop Russian gas Worldcategory· December 23, 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin met Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in the Kremlin on Sunday ...