Putin used meeting with Fico to undermine support for Ukraine - ISW
Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico and President of Russia Vladimir Putin (photo: Russian media)
Russian President Vladimir Putin used his meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to advance a campaign aimed at undermining Western unity in support of Ukraine, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The report reminded that the visit of the Slovak Prime Minister marked the third visit by a European Union official to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Institute also noted that the last meeting between Putin and Fico took place in 2016.
"ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin cultivates relationships with individual Western and NATO members to leverage these relationships to exacerbate fissures within the West and undermine support for Ukraine," the report states.
Fico's visit to Moscow
On December 22, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico visited Moscow for an official trip, where he met with President Vladimir Putin.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed Ukraine's refusal to transit Russian gas starting January 1, 2025, and exchanged views on Russia's war in Ukraine.
Fico stated that the visit was in response to Ukraine's unwillingness to continue transiting Russian gas to the EU.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the main goal of the Slovak government's visit was to seek cooperation with Russia.
Zelenskyy also noted that Ukraine had offered Slovakia compensation for halting the transit of Russian gas, but Fico rejected the proposal.
