Fico Met Putin in Moscow, Expressed Disagreement with New 'Iron Curtain' Policy

Moscow/Bratislava, May 10 (TASR) - During his working visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Robert Fico held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed strong disagreement with the policy of the so-called new Iron Curtain, which Fico believes is forming between the European Union and the Russian Federation, TASR learnt from the Government's Office press department on Saturday. According to Fico, Slovakia is prepared to continue maintaining and restoring Red Army memorials and military cemeteries on its soil. He stated that Slovakia wants to "build bridges of cooperation, not dividing lines," and added that Slovakia "maintains a sovereign foreign policy even within its membership in the EU and NATO." The talks also addressed energy security. Fico described the European Commission's proposal to completely halt oil, gas, and nuclear fuel supplies from Russia as "economically unsustainable and harmful to Europe." He stated that continued cooperation with Russian suppliers is essential for the safe and stable operation of Slovakia's nuclear power plants. Fico declared that if the relevant legislation is to be decided unanimously, Slovakia will veto such proposals. However, in the case of decisions made by qualified majority voting, he noted that small states can be overruled by larger EU members. The meeting also included a discussion about the war in Ukraine. Fico reiterated that Slovakia does not believe in a military solution to the conflict and supports all peace initiatives—regardless of the country from which they originate. He also held a separate, smaller-format meeting with Putin (tête-à-tête), during which current forecasts of the conflict's development were discussed. mf