Putin Meets Slovakian Prime Minister, a 'Pro-Russian EU Leader'

Robert Fico, the pro-Russian leader and Prime Minister of Slovakia, visited Moscow, Russia on the 22nd (local time) and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

TASS Yonhap News

The Kremlin Palace released a video on Telegram showing "President Putin meeting with Prime Minister Fico, who is on an official visit to Moscow, at the Kremlin," where the two leaders shook hands and conversed. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, explained that President Putin and Prime Minister Fico met one-on-one, and that Fico's visit to Russia was planned several days in advance.

This is the first direct meeting between President Putin and Prime Minister Fico since 2016. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it is unusual for leaders of European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries to meet with President Putin in Russia. Slovakia is a member of both the EU and NATO.

In July, Viktor Orb?n, the Prime Minister of Hungary, also met with President Putin. Prime Ministers Orb?n and Fico are among the few European leaders maintaining friendly relations with Russia. Including the visit by Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to Russia in April 2022, Prime Minister Fico is the third European leader to have spoken with President Putin since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, according to TASS news agency.

Foreign media report that Prime Minister Fico's visit to speak with President Putin is related to the issue of Russian gas supply through Ukraine. Ukraine declared it will not extend the five-year contract for gas transit, and Russian gas transit through Ukraine is expected to be halted on January 1 of next year.

Earlier, when Ukraine announced it would not extend the Russian gas transit, Prime Minister Fico reacted by saying "Slovakia will fall into crisis." On the 19th, oil supply through the Druzhba pipeline to the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia was also suspended due to technical problems.

When asked whether international issues and Russian gas transit were discussed during the meeting, spokesperson Peskov said, "It is easy to assume that (they were)," but added, "To know the exact details, we must wait until the meeting concludes."