Zelenskyy reacted harshly to Fico's meeting with Putin
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the meeting of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. The Head of State added that the Slovak leader has his own benefit out of the cooperation with Russia.
Zelenskyy reported this on Monday, December 23.
Zelenskyy about the meeting between Fico and Putin
"It is worth noting that after the meeting in Moscow, Fico and Putin did not make any joint statements or answer questions of the media. They simply cannot say anything publicly about what they discussed at the meeting. They are afraid of the public's reaction," Zelenskyy noted.
The President recalled that Russia provides significant discounts for Fico, but in exchange for these discounts, Russia influences the sovereignty of another country or creates illegal schemes. According to Zelenskyy, such a situation should interest Slovak law enforcement agencies and special services.
Zelenskyy also said that the details of such financing were disclosed during a recent meeting of European leaders in Brussels. The leaders of other countries noted that Fico does not want to participate in joint European work on energy independence or look for a replacement of Russian gas. He rather wants to do the opposite — help Russia displace American gas and the energy resources of other partners from Europe. In essence, this means that Fico wants to help Putin earn money to finance the war and weaken Europe.
"We are losing people because of the war that Putin started, and we believe that such assistance to Putin is immoral," Zelenskyy added.
The Head of State also noted that Fico even refused to accept compensation that would ease the transition period and help get rid of dependence. He is interested in Russian gas, which costs $500 million per year. Zelenskyy explained that Fico also has $500 million in profit from the pipe through which Russian gas goes to Europe through Ukraine.
"So, his key goal is to do business with Russia, and this is what benefits him. This is actually a big security issue for both Slovakia and the whole of Europe. Why is this leader so dependent on Moscow? What is he paid for and how does he pay for it?" Zelenskyy asked.
Previously, we reported that on Sunday, December 22, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held talks with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Moscow. They discussed the war in Ukraine and gas transit.
As a reminder, the Slovak opposition criticized Fico's trip to Moscow.