Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who visited Moscow on Sunday, of wanting to “help Russia earn money to finance the war” with Ukraine.
“Fico wants to help [Russian President Vladimir] Putin earn money to finance the war and weaken Europe,” Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on the social network X.
“We think this aid to Putin is immoral,” Zelensly added, alluding to the tension prevailing over issues related to the transit of Russian gas to the European Union (EU).
Today, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed issues related to energy and the war in Ukraine, as well as bilateral relations, on Sunday.
“They managed to talk about bilateral relations, which were significantly affected by the actions of the former Slovak authorities. They also discussed issues related to energy and gas,” Peskov said at his usual daily press conference.
Furthermore, he added, “they exchanged views on the Ukrainian issue.”
“President Putin conveyed to his interlocutor his opinion on the current situation on the battlefield,” Peskov said.
According to the Kremlin, the conversation between the two leaders was “quite substantive.”
Fico arrived in Moscow on Sunday afternoon as part of an unannounced visit and was received by Putin at the Kremlin.
Slovak Prime Minister said on Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered him $500 million (about 482 million euros) of Russian assets frozen by sanctions in exchange for his support for possible accession to the NATO Treaty Organization. North Atlantic (NATO).
“He asked me if I would vote for [Ukraine’s] accession to NATO if he gave me $500 million worth of Russian assets,” Fico said in a video posted on the social network Facebook.
Fico and Zelensky met on Thursday at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, during which the Ukrainian leader insisted his country would cut off Russian gas transit to Europe, a move that could hurt Slovakia.
In this regard, Fico, whose country imports 3 billion cubic meters per year from the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, warned that measures could be taken against Ukraine.
Slovakia supplies electricity to Ukraine, whose energy infrastructure is badly damaged by Russian strikes, as well as humanitarian aid and mine clearance equipment.
Furthermore, Slovakia could reverse gas flows to meet Ukraine’s fuel needs, something Fico has threatened to revisit if gas transit is cut off.
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