On Tuesday, September 2, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where the two discussed issues related to Ukraine.
According to Ukrinform, the BBC Russian Service reports this.
Fico said Slovakia takes a “very tough” stance on Ukrainian attacks against the Druzhba oil pipeline on Russian territory. He added that he plans to raise the issue during his upcoming meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, scheduled for Friday in Uzhhorod.
The Slovak Prime Minister also intends to discuss Ukraine’s possible accession to the European Union. According to Fico, while Bratislava supports Kyiv’s potential EU membership, it will not agree to Ukraine joining NATO.
Putin, for his part, reiterated that Moscow has never opposed Ukraine’s membership in the EU, but considers NATO membership unacceptable. He again accused Western countries and NATO of seeking to “absorb the entire post-Soviet space,” insisting that Russia’s only goal is to defend its own interests.
The Russian leader also dismissed claims that Moscow has plans to attack Europe.
As reported earlier, the European Commission described as “blatant disinformation” allegations made by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó about a supposed conspiracy between Kyiv, the Commission, and some EU states regarding strikes on the Druzhba pipeline.
Archive photo: Fico / Facebook
