Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he "with pleasure" accepted the invitation of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow. He will go there in May 2025.
Points of attention
- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accepted the invitation of Russian President Putin to visit Moscow in May 2025 for celebrations marking the victory over fascism.
- Fico's decision to visit Moscow has sparked controversy, especially after defending the Russian government and accusing the EU of supporting the war in Ukraine in a controversial interview on a Russian TV channel.
- Fico plans to uphold the legacy of the fight against fascism and celebrate the role of the Red Army in the Second World War during the 2025 celebrations in Moscow, emphasizing the importance of historical truth.
- The Slovak government, under Fico's leadership, will be organizing several events dedicated to the victory over fascism in 2025, culminating in the May celebrations.
- Fico's visit to Moscow may make him the first representative of Slovakia to officially visit Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drawing attention to his stance on historical events and international relations.
Fico is going to Moscow at the invitation of dictator Putin
Fico may become the first representative of Slovakia to go to Russia on an official visit after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Fico emphasized the role of the Red Army and the Soviet Union in defeating fascism and winning the brutal world war. The Prime Minister said that the citizens of Slovakia "respectfully remember all the anniversaries and events related to the liberation of our territory by the Red Army in 1944-1945."
He also stated that the Slovak government supports the legacy of the fight against fascism, as well as the "historical truth" about the Second World War and the role of the Red Army in it.
In 2025, the Slovak government will take charge of the organization of several events, culminating in May celebrations of the victory over fascism. In the spirit of the above, it is natural that I, as the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, am extremely interested in participating in the official celebrations on the occasion of the victory over fascism, which will take place on May 9, 2025 in Moscow. Therefore, I gladly accepted the official invitation of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin to take part in these important celebrations, which I will do.
Robert Fico
Prime Minister of Slovakia
Fico was embarrassed by an interview with Russian propagandists
The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, gave a scandalous interview to the host of the Russian propaganda TV channel "Russia-1", the odious Olga Skabeeva. This is the first appearance of the head of a European country on the Russian TV channel during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
Excerpts from the interview with Skabeeva, who is included in the sanctions list of the EU, the USA and a number of other countries, were published in Telegram.
They are also published by Slovak media, noting that Fico became the first sitting head of state or government of an EU country to appear on Russian TV since the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Later, the interview was broadcast on Skabeeva's program "60 Minutes" on the TV channel "Russia-1".
In his speech, the Slovak prime minister criticized the EU countries, many of which are Slovakia's allies in NATO, saying that their support for Ukraine allegedly only prolongs the war.
He also defended other theses advanced by the Russian authorities — that Ukraine abandoned the peace agreements in Istanbul under Western pressure; that Western sanctions against Russia "don't work".
Fitso noted that he would gladly come to Moscow for the 80th anniversary of the Victory and express his gratitude to the Red Army.
