Zelenskyy accuses Slovak PM Fico of selling out to Putin

Ukraine's President denounced Fico's cooperation with Russia, revealing concerns about hidden payment schemes and deliberate efforts to maintain Russian energy dominance in Europe.

Dec 23, 2024 - 20:00

Zelenskyy accuses Slovak PM Fico of selling out to Putin

zelenskyy accuses slovak pm fico selling out putin slovakia's pro-russian robert 2024 european union ukraine news ukrainian reports

On 23 December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the previous day, accusing the Slovak leader of helping Putin earn money.

Days ago, Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine would not allow Moscow to “earn additional billions” from gas transit through Ukraine while continuing its aggression. On 22 December, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico visited Moscow and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure continued access to Russian gas supplies. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, only two other EU heads of government – Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – have visited Putin before Fico’s meeting. Both visits faced widespread condemnation, with the EU’s executive arm publicly rebuking Orbán’s self-declared peace mission.

Zelenskyy wrote on X that Fico “wants to help Putin earn money to fund the war and weaken Europe,” as revealed at recent European leaders’ meeting in Brussels, according to the Ukrainian President.

“This is indeed a big security issue — both for Slovakia and the entire Europe. Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is being paid to him, and what does he pay with?”

The Ukrainian president noted that Fico and Putin avoided making joint statements or answering media questions after their Moscow meeting.

“They simply cannot say publicly anything about what they discussed in the meeting. They are afraid of the public’s reaction,” Zelenskyy stated.

According to Zelenskyy, Moscow provides significant discounts to Fico, but these come at Slovakia’s expense.

“Such discounts are not free—payments to Russia are made through sovereignty or murky schemes. This should be a matter of concern for Slovakia’s law enforcement and special services,” he stated.

The President said that details about such financing emerged during the Brussels meeting. European leaders observed that Fico refuses to participate in common European efforts toward energy independence or seek alternatives to Russian gas. Instead, Zelenskyy said, Fico “wants to assist Russia in pushing American gas and energy resources of other partners away from Europe.”

The Ukrainian leader disclosed that Russian gas deals are worth $500 million annually for Slovakia, with another $500 million coming from oil pipeline transit through Ukrainian territory.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine continues losing people in Putin’s war, making such assistance to the Russian leader “immoral.”

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