What to make of Fico's visit to Putin?
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico surprised both friends and foes with a visit to Moscow shortly before Christmas. His country is in a predicament because Ukraine is refusing to extend a deal allowing the transit of Russian gas via its territory to Slovakia for 2025. Following his visit to Putin, Fico said he would cut off Slovakian power supplies to Ukraine if it continued to refuse transit. He also offered his country as a venue for peace negotiations with Ukraine to Putin.
This is not about energy
Sme is appalled:
“Ukraine refuses to extend the contracts for the transit of Russian gas which Russia and Putin use to finance their military aggression. It communicated its intention to do this with complete transparency and reaffirmed it vis-à-vis Fico on several occasions. ... Instead of looking for alternatives to Russian gas and seeking - together with allies - real solutions to the conflict in Ukraine, Fico is collaborating with the biggest military aggressor of our time. The Czech Republic said it would rather seek energy independence to avoid the shame of having to grovel to Putin. Fico's visit to Moscow did not benefit Slovakia in any way. All he did was show once again that his 'sovereign Slovak foreign policy' involves betraying allies, insulting partners and bowing to dictators.”
A quick about-turn
Aktuálně.cz laments:
“Fico and his government show how quickly a relatively normal Western regime can degenerate into the complete opposite, an instrument of Putin's policies. It goes without saying that the Russian president is aiming to undermine European unity as much as possible. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Fico's threats literally: 'The ruler of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has authorised the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, to open a second energy front against Ukraine, at the expense of the interests of the people of that country.' Zelensky hit the nail on the head.”
Trump should follow suit
Fico is consistently working towards peace, fakti.bg argues:
“Two months ago, the Slovakian prime minister said he would not provide military aid to Ukraine, regardless of Bratislava's Nato membership. One month before Trump took office, he offered his country as a venue for future peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Vladimir Putin accepted his offer but Zelensky lost his nerve.... Robert Fico has taken the first step, and Donald Trump should now take the next step to put an end to the bloodshed in the east.”
A futile gesture
Pro-Putin positions won't be sustainable in Europe in the long term, Új Szó predicts:
“The pro-Russian arguments put forward by Orbán and Fico may soon be weakened by Trump's proposal, or rather 'threat', that the EU reduce its debt to the US by increasing imports of raw materials such as liquefied natural gas and oil from the US. This would create a completely new situation that could lead to the EU becoming independent of Russia regarding energy supplies. The pro-Putin arguments therefore seem to be losing ground. ... If the dependence on raw materials no longer exists, Putin could lose all influence over Europe.”
Slovakia cannot be a bridge
Aktuality.sk considers it a mistake that Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico paid a surprise visit to Putin shortly before Christmas and offered Bratislava as a venue for peace negotiations:
“Our foreign policy commitment to the West is clearly enshrined in law, and membership of Nato and the EU is also part of the government's binding programme. If you're in Nato, you can't be neutral. Fico is committing treason here. ... The idea of Czechoslovakia's neutrality as a bridge between East and West already existed. When President Edvard Beneš sought guarantees for the country's security from both the West and the East during the Second World War, it was in reaction to the Allies' former betrayal in Munich [in 1938]. ... The Russians then used these treaties during the communist coup in 1948 and the Soviet troops' invasion in 1968.”