Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said this Saturday, after meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that he conveyed to him Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s willingness to hold a face-to-face meeting.
“Zelensky is willing to meet with Vladimir Putin in any format”, said Fico in a video filmed on board the government plane returning to Slovakia, about the message sent by the Ukrainian President to the Kremlin leader.
Robert Fico was the only leader of the European Union (EU) to travel to the Russian capital for the and laying a wreath at the monument to the unknown soldier.
Hours before the video of the Slovak prime minister, the Kremlin stated that Putin did not receive any message from Zelensky through the Slovak prime minister.
Fico explained in his video that he received this message from Zelensky during the European Political Community (CPE) summit, held on Monday in Yerevan, Armenia.
The Slovak politician, who leads one of the most Eurosceptic and Moscow-close governments within the EU, took the opportunity to criticize the consensual foreign policy of his community partners against Russia.
“Once again it has been demonstrated that it is a huge mistake not to maintain a political dialogue with the Russian side: if only sanctions come from the EU, this leads to greater self-sufficiency for Russia in numerous spheres. Only war loans and war support come from the EU, something in which we do not participate”, said Fico.
“It would be possible to meet in a third country, but only if a definitive agreement is reached on a peace treaty, which must be designed with a long-term perspective”, he told the press, according to the Russian news agency TASS, cited by other international agencies.
