Putin speaks with Fico, during rare visit to Moscow by EU leader

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Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the Kremlin on Sunday, in a rare visit to Moscow by a European leader since Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Mr. Fico arrived in Russia as part of a “working visit” and met Mr. Putin face-to-face on Sunday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency RIA. According to Mr. Peskov, discussions should focus on “the international situation” and deliveries of Russian natural gas.

Russian natural gas is still transported to some European countries, including Slovakia, via Ukraine, under a five-year agreement signed before the war and set to expire at the end of the year. At a summit in Brussels on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told EU leaders that Kyiv had no intention of renewing the agreementwhich, according to Mr. Fico, would harm the interests of his country.

Last month, Slovakia signed a short-term pilot contract to buy natural gas from Azerbaijan, as it prepares for a possible halt to Russian deliveries via Ukraine. Earlier this year, it struck a deal to import U.S. liquefied natural gas through a pipeline from Poland.

The country can also receive gas through the Austrian, Hungarian and Czech networks, allowing it to import from Germany, among other potential suppliers.

Fico, anti-aid to Ukraine, pro-“peace”

Robert Fico, a populist leaderis known for his criticism of support for Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression: barely appointed head of a coalition government with the pro-Russian far right, Fico announced the end of aid Slovak military to Ukraine.

Mr Fico was also one of the few senior EU politicians to appear on Russian state television after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with Rossiya-1 in October, he argued that the West had “prolonged the war” by supporting Ukraine, adding that sanctions against Russia were ineffective. He said he was ready to negotiate with Mr. Putin.

He also promised to attend a military parade in Moscow next May, which will mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II. The Kremlin has used annual “Victory Day” celebrations to tout its prowess on the battlefield, and Mr. Putin hailed Russian troops fighting in Ukraine as “heroes” at this year’s event.

Visits and phone calls from European leaders to Mr. Putin have been rare since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine, although Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Russia in July. Mr Orban's visit was condemned by Kyiv and European leaders.

Mr. Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with Mr. Putin among EU leaders, has regularly blocked, delayed or watered down EU efforts to help Kyiv and impose sanctions on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine. He has long advocated for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, but without specifying what this might mean for the country's territorial integrity or its future security.