AP
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday hosted Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a uncommon go to to the Kremlin by an EU chief since Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Fico arrived in Russia on a “working go to” and met with Putin one-on-one on Sunday night, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov instructed Russia’s RIA company. According to Peskov, the talks have been anticipated to deal with “the worldwide scenario” and Russian pure fuel deliveries.
Russian pure fuel nonetheless flows to some European nations, together with Slovakia, by way of Ukraine below a five-year settlement signed earlier than the battle that is because of expire on the finish of this yr. At a summit in Brussels on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed EU leaders that Kyiv has no intention of renewing the deal, one thing Fico insisted will hurt his nation’s pursuits.
Slovakia final month signed a short-term pilot contract to purchase pure fuel from Azerbaijan, because it prepares for a attainable halt to Russian provides by way of Ukraine. Earlier this yr, it struck a deal to import U.S. liquefied pure fuel by way of a pipeline from Poland.
The nation may obtain fuel by way of Austrian, Hungarian and Czech networks, enabling imports from Germany amongst different potential suppliers.
Visits and telephone calls from European leaders to Putin have been uncommon since Moscow despatched troops into Ukraine, though Hungary’s PM Viktor Orbán visited Russia in July, and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met with the Russian chief simply weeks into the full-scale battle. Both journeys drew condemnation from Kyiv and European leaders.
Orbán, broadly seen as having the warmest relations with Putin amongst EU leaders, has routinely blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to help Kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. He has lengthy argued for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine however with out outlining what which may imply for the nation’s territorial integrity or future safety.
Fico’s views on Russia’s battle on Ukraine differ sharply from most different European leaders. The Slovakian PM returned to energy final yr after his leftist social gathering Smer (Direction) gained parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform. Since then, he has ended his nation’s navy help for Ukraine, hit out at EU sanctions on Russia, and vowed to dam Ukraine from becoming a member of NATO.
Fico has additionally been a uncommon senior EU politician to look on Russian state TV following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with the Rossiya-1 channel in October, he contended the West has “extended the battle” by supporting Ukraine, including that sanctions towards Russia have been ineffective. He declared that he was prepared to barter with Putin.
He additionally vowed to attend a navy parade in Moscow subsequent May that can mark the eightieth anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II. The Kremlin has used the annual “Victory Day” celebrations to tout its battlefield prowess, and Putin hailed Russian troops combating in Ukraine as “heroes” at this yr’s occasion.
