'Slovakia' MPs Arrive in Kiev, Criticise Fico for Visiting Russia

Kiev, May 9 (TASR) - MPs from the opposition 'Slovakia' party, Igor Matovic, Roman Mikulec and Gabor Grendel, paid a visit to the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Friday, party spokesman Matus Bystriansky informed TASR on the same day. They did so while Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) was in Moscow celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe. "Millions of people in Slovakia felt ashamed and betrayed when they saw Fico bowing and kissing the symbolic ring of the murderer [Russian President Vladimir] Putin today. That's why we came here to encourage the Ukrainians on behalf of those people and to show that Slovakia is not just Fico," stated party leader Igor Matovic. By this visit, the 'Slovakia' party wants to send a signal to Slovakia's European partners that there are many people in Slovakia who are aware of who is the aggressor and who is the victim in the war in Ukraine. The party MPs also unveiled a 17-metre-long banner on Kiev's Independence Square that depicted the footprints of the 682 children killed in the war in Ukraine. ko/df