Zelenskyy on Fico-Putin meeting: 'His key goal is to deal with Russia'
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico visited Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted, saying Russia is paid for such meetings with sovereignty or shadow schemes.
Zelenskyy noted that neither Fico nor Putin disclosed the details of their meeting in Moscow. This is because they simply cannot say anything publicly about what they discussed at the meeting. They are probably afraid of the public reaction.
“Moscow provides significant discounts to Fico, but Slovakia pays for them. Such discounts are not free - payments to Russia are made through sovereignty or murky schemes. This should be a matter of concern for Slovakia's law enforcement and special services,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Details on this issue were revealed during a recent meeting of European leaders in Brussels. Fico did not want to participate in joint European work on energy independence or look for a replacement for Russian gas. On the contrary, he wants to help Russia displace American gas and other partners' energy resources from Europe, helping Putin earn money to finance the war.
“We are losing people as a result of the war that Putin started, and we believe that such assistance to Putin is immoral. Mr. Fico even refused compensations to ease the transition period and get rid of dependence, meaning it is not a security issue for him,” the president said.
Zelenskyy believes that Fico is interested in Russian gas, which is worth $500 million a year.
“His key goal is to deal with Russia, and this is what benefits him. This is indeed a big security issue - both for Slovakia and the entire Europe. Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?” he added.
Backstory
Russian media reported yesterday Fico's arrival in Moscow and his meeting with Putin. The details of their meeting are unknown. But Fico made a statement after, saying his visit was a response to Ukraine's reluctance to continue transiting Russian gas to Europe.
Ukraine will stop flowing Russian gas to Europe
The contract between Ukraine and Russia on the transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukrainian territory expires on January 1, 2025. Hungary and Slovakia want to extend the contract.
As Zelenskyy previously said, Ukraine does not want Russia to have additional income that could be spent on a war against Ukrainians.
