Slovakian prime minister plans to meet Putin and Zelensky this week

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico plans to hold meetings with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week, he said in a video message on Monday.

He said he intends to meet Putin in Beijing on Tuesday evening during a trip to China, before meeting Zelensky in eastern Slovakia on Friday.

Fico is travelling to China to attend commemorative events marking the anniversary of World War II, including a military parade on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Fico said he will be received by Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding that his EU partners have been informed of his trip.

Fico wants to serve as a peacemaker between Ukraine and Russia, but has failed so far, with Zelensky and leading EU politicians accusing him of being too friendly towards Russia.

Slovakia and Ukraine are also still engaged in a dispute over Kiev’s obstruction of the transit of Russian gas and oil to Slovakia, which is more dependent on Russian energy than almost any other EU country.

Ukraine says it wants to curtail funding for Moscow’s war by blocking the transit of Russian energy.

In his video message, published on Facebook, Fico expressed regret that no other EU leader was attending the Chinese celebrations, calling it a missed opportunity.

“Heads of state representing billions of people will be present there,” he said.

“A new world order is emerging, new rules for a multipolar world, a new balance of power that is extremely important for global stability,” he added.