(CLO) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday received Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico at the Kremlin. The talks between the two leaders focused on the international situation and gas issues.
Mr Fico arrived in Russia on a working visit and met privately with Mr Putin on Sunday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia's RIA news agency. The talks are expected to focus on the "international situation" and Russian natural gas supplies, Peskov said.
Russian natural gas still flows to some European countries, including Slovakia, via Ukraine under a five-year deal signed before the Russia-Ukraine conflict that is set to expire at the end of this year. At a conference in Brussels on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told European Union leaders that Kiev had no intention of extending the deal, which Fico said would harm his country’s interests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico during a meeting in Moscow, Russia on December 22, 2024. Photo: Kremlin
Last month, Slovakia signed a short-term pilot contract to buy natural gas from Azerbaijan, as it prepares for a possible cutoff of Russian gas supplies via Ukraine. Earlier this year, Slovakia reached a deal to import US liquefied natural gas via a pipeline from Poland.
The country can also receive gas through the Austrian, Hungarian and Czech networks, allowing imports from Germany and several other suppliers.
Visits and phone calls from European leaders to Mr Putin have been rare since 2022, although Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Russia in July and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met the Russian leader just weeks after the fighting in Ukraine broke out. Both trips were criticised by Kiev and European leaders.
Mr. Fico was assassinated when the perpetrator shot him four times at close range on May 15. His life was in serious danger. However, fortunately, he later overcame and recovered to continue his work as Serbia's leader.
Slovak authorities arrest suspect in the assassination of Prime Minister Fico. Photo: Radovan Stoklasa/Tlacova agentura SR
Fico’s views on Russia’s war with Ukraine are at odds with those of most other European leaders. The Slovakian prime minister returned to power last year after his leftist Smer party won parliamentary elections on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform. He has since cut off his country’s military aid to Ukraine, criticized EU sanctions against Russia and vowed to block Ukraine from joining NATO.
Mr Fico was also a rare senior EU politician to appear on Russian state television in the wake of the war in Ukraine. In an interview with Rossiya-1 in October, he said the West was “prolonging the war” by providing aid to Ukraine, adding that sanctions against Russia were ineffective.
Bui Huy (according to TASS, Kremlin, CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thu-tuong-slovakia-fico-hoi-dam-voi-tong-thong-nga-putin-ve-tinh-hinh-quoc-te-va-khi-dot-post326971.html
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