Gaspar: Fico Won't Go to Kiev on Friday to Negotiate Gas Transit

Moscow/Bratislava, January 14 (TASR) - Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) doesn't plan to visit Kiev on Friday to discuss the halt to Russian gas transit through Ukraine, according to Slovak House Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD), who told Russian news agency TASS during the ongoing visit by a Slovak parliamentary delegation to Moscow, with Gaspar then specifying to TASR that a meeting in the Ukrainian capital will probably not take place due to security concerns for the Slovak prime minister. "Premier Fico published an open letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday, inviting him for talks. Zelenskyy replied that there's a need to come to Kiev on Friday, but that's impossible. I don't believe it will happen," said Gaspar, who, along with MP Andrej Danko (Slovak National Party/SNS), is heading the visit by the Slovak delegation. Gaspar in a statement for TASR in Moscow said that the way in which Zelenskyy responded to Fico's letter wasn't "statesmanlike". "But the main reason why they will probably not meet in Kiev is security. I believe that the premier's life would be at risk. I trust that they will find a meeting place that will work for both sides," he stated. Fico proposed to Zelenskyy that talks on gas transit should take place on Slovak territory near the Ukrainian border. Zelenskyy agreed to talks in a brief statement on social media, suggesting, however, that Fico should come to Kiev on Friday. lin/df