Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico on Tuesday, August 2, for following an “independent” foreign policy, as the pair met in China.
The Slovak leader has opposed European Union sanctions on Russia, arguing that the measures threaten his country’s energy security, and has repeatedly voiced criticism of the Ukrainian government.
Putin told Fico
We highly value the independent foreign policy that you and your team, your government, are pursuing.
Fico—the only EU leader attending World War II commemorations in Beijing—stated that Slovakia was “extremely interested” in standardizing ties with Russia and added that his country had begun issuing visas for Russian citizens. The European Commission has urged member states to adopt stricter rules when granting visas to Russian citizens.
Fico is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in western Ukraine on Friday, where they plan to discuss Ukraine’s EU membership aspirations and the impact of attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
