Chovanec: Fico Can Relay Message from Zelenskyy to Putin During Visit to Moscow2

Bratislava, 7 May (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico is not going to attend the military parade during Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on 9 May and will only lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Rastislav Chovanec said at Thursday's session of the House European Affairs Committee. According to Chovanec, the Slovak premier could also pass messages from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Instead of Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Marek Estok will accompany Fico to Moscow. "The prime minister's trip to Moscow is primarily focused on commemorating the end of the Second World War. He will not attend the military parade and will only lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. But yes, alongside this he's also going to meet the Russian president, to whom he may convey messages from the Ukrainian president he met twice over the past week. The prime minister may also obtain valuable information from the Russian president on how Putin views efforts to end the war," Chovanec said. "I believe that at this time it is necessary to communicate with all parties involved and that the European Union and European politicians should care about being at the negotiating table where a peace agreement will be reached," he added, noting that several political leaders from Western Europe have already begun promoting the view that discussions with the Russian president on this issue are necessary. The deputy minister stressed during the committee meeting that the Slovak prime minister traditionally commemorates the end of the Second World War in several locations. He added that besides the Moscow trip, Fico plans to visit France in June and is in Germany on Thursday, where he is visiting the former Dachau concentration camp. Committee vice-chair Beata Jurik pointed out that the prime minister's trip to Moscow was an act that should not become something people get used to and should not be considered a "traditional" visit. She said she was surprised by suggestions that the prime minister could bring back useful information from the trip. "I rather had the impression last year and again this year that our European partners view his trip to Moscow very critically, and not as some contribution to diplomacy from which he would bring back information," she said. According to committee member Veronika Remisova, the trip to Moscow makes "absolutely" no sense. "Especially not in a context where the Russians purportedly wanted a ceasefire and at the same time bombed a kindergarten shortly before the ceasefire, killing two people. This is not how someone who wants peace behaves," she warned after the session. Besides Estok, parliamentary vice-chair Tibor Gaspar is also expected to accompany Fico to Moscow. As was the case during Fico's trip to Russia last year, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland again did not grant overflight permission. The Victory Day military parade on Red Square commemorates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Both Russia and Ukraine were part of the Soviet Union at the time. Moscow will hold a scaled-down version of the parade this year, without the usual display of weapons, due to the increased risk of Ukrainian attacks. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final six paragraphs mf/mcs