Putin to Meet Slovak Prime Minister Fico in China Amid Rising Tensions with EU
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in China in the coming days, as announced by the Kremlin on Sunday. This meeting is expected to exacerbate existing tensions between Bratislava and Brussels. Fico remains one of the few EU leaders to sustain regular communication with Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, reports 24brussels.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the meeting’s planning but refrained from disclosing the topics to be discussed or the specific timing of the encounter.
Fico is scheduled to attend a parade in Beijing on Wednesday, commemorating the conclusion of the Asian theatre of World War II.
Meanwhile, Putin is participating in a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin and will be seated alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Beijing parade.
Fico has drawn the ire of European leaders by openly criticizing the EU’s support for Ukraine and opposing measures to reduce energy imports from Russia.
Slovakia’s heavy reliance on Russian gas further complicates the situation.
In May, he defied the European Union by attending Putin’s grand Victory Day parade in Moscow.
