Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has drawn widespread condemnation after appearing on Russian state television channel Rossiya 1, where he criticized Western support for Ukraine and expressed willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Politico reports that former Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovič strongly criticized Fico’s appearance on the program “60 Minutes” on 30 October, calling him “a horrible treacherous ferret” in a Facebook post.
The interview was conducted by Olga Skabeyeva, a sanctioned top-tier Russian propagandist. Skabeyeva previously dismissed the Bucha massacre as a “hoax” and claimed it was staged by the West to create “a fake version of Srebrenica.”
Pro-Russian Slovak PM Fico describes Moscow visit for WWII Victory Day “an honour”
During the interview, Fico accused Western nations of prolonging the war.
“The European Union tells Ukrainians: ‘Here are your weapons, here is your money, fight, just don’t bother us, we no longer want anything to do with this war,'” Politico reports Fico as saying.
The Slovak leader also expressed interest in visiting Moscow for the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end in Europe on 9 May 2025.
The appearance sparked strong reactions from multiple officials. Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko wrote on X that “Fico can just move to Moscow if he loves Russia so much.”
Slovak opposition MP Juraj Krúpa from the Freedom and Solidarity party described the interview as “unprecedented,” noting that “not even Viktor Orbán would dare” make such an appearance.
Related:
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- Slovaks raise over $ 3 mn for a Czech initiative to supply Ukraine with ammunition
- Slovakia to block Ukraine’s NATO membership, says PM Fico
- Reuters: New Slovak government rejects military assistance package for Ukraine
