Fico defies the head of European diplomacy and announces that he will not be missing from Putin's military parade, to present his “tributes to the Red Army soldiers”
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (left), during their meeting in Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, on December 22, 2024. Photo: Gavriil Grigorov / AP / Profimedia
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced that he will participate in the Victorian Day military parade in Moscow, on May 9, despite the warning sent by the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who urged the European leaders not to do so, writes The Kyiv Independent.
“I will go to Moscow on May 9,” Fico wrote, in a post on his Facebook account, published on Tuesday night.
Previously during the day, Kallas urged European leaders to boycott the event, which marks 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in solidarity with Ukraine. Participation in the Moscow military parade “cannot be easily taken from the European side, given that Russia really bears a large -scale war in Europe,” said the High EU representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
In his post, Fico directly approached Kallas's warning and insisted that he had the right to visit Moscow.
“Mrs. Kallas, I would like to inform you that I am the legitimate prime minister of Slovakia-a sovereign country,” he wrote.
“No one can tell me where I should travel or not.
The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin invited a series of world leaders to participate in the events that mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany. In addition to Slovakia, a member of the community block, and Serbia, a country candidate for EU accession, the Kremlin invited leaders in China, India, Brazil and Armenia.
The Kremlin is waiting for more than 20 leaders at the parade on May 9, despite EU warnings. Who announced its participation
Moscow has repeatedly used historical commemorations to justify its invasion of the neighboring country, a little claiming that the “special military operation” is an attempt to “denazify” Ukraine.
Fico initially announced in November 2024 the intention to participate in the parade of May 9. A month later, the Slovak Prime Minister went to Moscow for a meeting with Putin, becoming the third leader in Europe to do so since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
The meeting with Putin caused protests in Slovakia, the protesters denouncing the Pico Police favorable to the Kremlin. In addition to the fact that he wants to establish closer ties with Moscow, Fico has constantly opposed the military support granted to Ukraine by the Community Bloc, notes the publication in Kiev.
The Ukrainian government invited to Kiev, on May 9, high leaders and officials of the EU, as a reaction to the traditional military paramade in Moscow.
