Peskov: Fico and Vucic's Visit to Moscow Act of Heroism

Moscow, May 9 (TASR) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the visit by Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to Moscow on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe was an act of heroism. Peskov said this in an interview with Russian state television Channel One, reported Russia's TASS news agency. "Nowadays – especially when we talk about Vucic and Fico – it's actually heroism. A true act of heroism, as to demonstrate sovereign will in paying homage to the memory of Victory Day so decisively, despite blatant and insane pressure is certainly worthy of the highest recognition," said Peskov. Fico was the only leader of an EU country to attend the celebrations in Moscow on Friday. Before the military parade he briefly met Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoke to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. He paid tribute to those who fell in battles by laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexandrovsky Garden near the Kremlin walls. Fico also announced several bilateral meetings as part of the visit to Moscow, including talks with Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Fico's visit, which took place at a time when Russia has been waging a war against Ukraine for more than three years, has been criticised by a number of European officials. ko/df