Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held a phone conversation in which they discussed bilateral ties, Ukraine's path to the European Union, and a possible in-person meeting, Zelenskyy reports.
According to Zelenskyy, Fico used the call to confirm Bratislava's official position on Ukraine's European future, despite what the Ukrainian side described as a complicated political backdrop in the bilateral relationship.
"I just spoke with the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico. We need to have strong relations between our states, and we are both interested in this. It was important to hear that Slovakia supports Ukraine's membership in the European Union and is ready to share its accession experience," Zelenskyy said following the conversation.
Visit invitations exchanged
The two leaders exchanged invitations for official visits. Zelenskyy invited Fico to Kyiv, while Fico extended an invitation for the Ukrainian president to travel to Bratislava. Their teams will work on scheduling, Zelenskyy said.
"I invited the Prime Minister to visit Kyiv and thanked him for his invitation to come to Bratislava. We also discussed the possibility of meeting in person in the near future. Our teams will work on the schedule," the Ukrainian president stated.
Czechia clears Fico's flight to Moscow
Separately, Czechia has granted Fico permission to use its airspace to travel to Moscow in May for the so-called Victory Day commemorations, the Czech Foreign Ministry.
"The Slovak side submitted a standard request for overflight permission, and it was issued without delay," ministry spokesperson Adam Csörgő told the agency.
Csörgő did not specify the timeframe covered by the permission, nor explain why Czechia, unlike several other European states — including the Baltic countries — chose to grant the request. Several European governments had previously refused Bratislava's requests for overflight access to enable Fico to attend the ceremonies hosted by Vladimir Putin.
