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Russia values the independent foreign policy of the Slovak government, said Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) in Beijing on Tuesday. According to the Kremlin chief, this has a positive effect on the Slovak economy, the Slovak news agency (TASR) reported, citing a report by the Russian news agency TASS. Fico expressed hope that the Russians will cooperate with the Americans in the construction of a new nuclear power plant unit in Slovakia. Both politicians are against Ukraine's membership in NATO, but they say they have no objections to its entry into the EU.
“We highly appreciate the independent foreign policy that you and your team, your government, are pursuing. This policy is bringing positive results. First of all, I mean economic indicators,” Putin said. At the same time, he expressed hope that business cooperation between Bratislava and Moscow would continue. “Some of your companies continue to operate successfully on the Russian market, which, in my opinion, is also beneficial for the Slovak economy as a whole,” he noted. According to TASR, he also emphasized that Moscow “remains a reliable supplier of energy resources.”
Fico thanked Putin for safe and regular supplies of Russian natural gas and said that the flow through the TurkStream pipeline to Slovakia is gradually increasing and is approaching four billion cubic meters per year. Fico also spoke in favor of standardizing relations between the two countries and suggested that a joint commission meeting between the two countries be held in the near future.
Both Fico and Putin are against Ukraine's membership in NATO
The two politicians also discussed Ukraine and reiterated their position that it cannot become a member state of the North Atlantic Alliance."I emphasize once again what I have said from the beginning: Ukraine cannot become a member of NATO. This is my final decision. However, when it comes to its membership in the European Union, we are ready to cooperate with Ukraine in this area," Fico said.
Putin dismissed European leaders’ fears that Russia would one day attack deeper into the continent as “hysteria” and “horror stories.” Referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he reiterated his long-held claim that Moscow was forced to respond to the West’s alleged attempt to absorb the entire post-Soviet space through NATO expansion, citing its own security concerns.
"We have never been against Ukraine's membership in the EU. As for NATO, that is a completely different issue, because it concerns Russia's long-term security," Putin claims.
Eleven years ago, however, he responded to a hint of consideration of the neighboring country's EU membership by putting tough pressure on Kiev, which was followed by Moscow's illegal occupation of Crimea and the instigation of armed clashes in eastern Ukraine between Russian-coordinated forces and units controlled by Kiev. After the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin leader began to declare that he did not mind Ukraine's accession to the EU.
Fico believes in cooperation between Russia and the US in nuclear energy
Putin also said on Tuesday, according to the ČTK news agency, that a possible peace agreement with Ukraine, which wants to obtain security guarantees from its Western allies that would deter Moscow from another invasion, must not threaten the security of his country. However, he believes that it is possible to find an agreement to ensure the security of both states."Ukraine will decide for itself how to ensure its security," Putin said at a meeting with Fico."But its security (...) cannot be guaranteed at the expense of the security of other countries, including Russia," added the Kremlin chief, on whose orders Russian troops invaded the neighboring country more than three and a half years ago.
During the interview, Fico also expressed hope that Russia would cooperate with the United States in the construction of a new nuclear power plant unit in Slovakia."We are in contact with the American company Westinghouse. We know that all the reactors that Slovakia has are of Russian or Soviet production. Slovak nuclear power plants cover more than half of the country's energy consumption. I would be very happy if Russian-American cooperation were established in this area," he said.
Both political leaders arrived in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Fico will also hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his three-day visit. He is the only EU member state to travel to Beijing to attend a military parade on Wednesday. He last met with Putin in May at the Victory Day celebrations. The Slovak prime minister advocates a foreign policy of the so-called"four azimuths".
Fico admitted that he expected to be widely criticized for his visit to Beijing and meeting with the Russian ruler, but noted that he was prepared to convey any Russian message to European Union leaders after their meeting.
Pellegrini defended Fico's meeting, the opposition criticized it
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini called Fico's meeting with Putin and his planned further talks a step that could contribute to ending the war in Ukraine."The President of the Slovak Republic, Peter Pellegrini, welcomes any diplomatic talks at the highest level that can contribute to the renewal of dialogue and subsequently to the end of the military conflict in Ukraine," the office of Pellegrini, who was the chairman of one of the three current governing parties before taking the presidential oath last year, said in a statement. The presidential office also pointed to Fico's upcoming talks with the presidents of China and Ukraine.
The Slovak opposition criticized the meeting. They said that Fico decided to surrender the country to Russian interests and behaved like a servant towards Putin at the joint meeting in China. This was expressed by the chairman of the strongest opposition movement Progresívne Slovensko, Michal Šimečka, and the chairman of the parliamentary group Hnutie Slovensko (formerly OĽaNO), Michal Šipoš.
