Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin. He became the third Western leader to meet the Russian president since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
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Fico, who is an outspoken critic of the European Union's support for Kiev in the war, said they discussed supplies of Russian gas to Slovakia, on which his country depends.
A deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom to transport energy through Ukraine to Slovakia expires at the end of this year.
"Senior EU officials were informed of my trip and its purpose ... on Friday," Fico wrote on Facebook. Advertisement
Fico said the meeting in Moscow was a reaction to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky telling EU leaders that Ukraine remained opposed to Russian gas passing through its territory.
The Slovak prime minister, who survived an assassination attempt earlier this year, also said he had a "long conversation" with Putin and that the two "exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine".
The two discussed "the possibilities for a quick and peaceful end to the war" and mutual relations between Russia and Slovakia, Fico wrote on Facebook.
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Slovakia and Hungary, both dependent on Russian gas, have expressed concern about the possibility of supply disruptions. In October 2023, when Fico became the new prime minister, he ended Slovakia's military aid to Ukraine.
But he insisted he wanted to be a "good and friendly neighbor" with Ukraine.
Fico's meeting with Putin came after the leaders of Italy, Sweden, Greece and Finland met on Sunday for a security summit.
Speaking afterwards, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Russia was a "permanent and dangerous threat" to the EU.
He also stressed the need to increase defense spending and support Ukraine.
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