Fico Spoke with Putin about Ukraine and Standardisation of Bilateral Relations

Bratislava, December 23 (TASR) - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) had a working meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday (December 22) to discuss the military situation in Ukraine, the possibilities of a peaceful solution to the war, as well as bilateral relations between Slovakia and Russia, which he said he wants to standardise. Fico has posted on a social network that he has been pursuing a sovereign policy in all four cardinal directions and that he informed the EU's top officials about his trip on Friday (December 20). He wrote that his meeting with the Russian president was a reaction to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that he is against the gas transit to the Slovak territory via Ukraine. "The Ukrainian president also supports sanctions against the Russian nuclear programme. With attitudes like this he financially harms Slovakia and threatens the production of electricity in nuclear power facilities in Slovakia, which is unacceptable," wrote the premier. According to Fico, Putin confirmed that Russia is still ready to supply gas to the West and to Slovakia, but this is "practically impossible given the Ukrainian president's attitude after January 1, 2025". Fico also reported that during his long talks with the Russian president, they exchanged opinions on the military situation in Ukraine, the possibility of an early peaceful end to the war and mutual relations between Slovakia and Russia, which he "intends to standardise". "Activities related to the 80th anniversary of the end of the WWII and the victory over fascism, where Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians and other nations of the former USSR played a decisive role, will be also instrumental in this," said Fico. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Sunday confirmed that Premier Robert Fico arrived for a working visit to Moscow and was holding talks with the Russian president. He said that the visit was planned several days in advance and that they were supposed to discuss the international agenda as well as the transit of Russian gas. Russian gas supplies through Ukraine are expected to come to an end on January 1, when the five-year contract expires. Ukraine had previously said it has no plans to extend the contract. ko