Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico visited Moscow for the Victory Day celebrations on May 9—the only EU leader to do so—and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, but didn’t attend the Victory Day parade, reported Euractiv. He did, however, lay a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Slovakia has maintained friendly ties to Russia and is dependent upon Russian oil. Earlier this year, it reiterated its opposition to providing any military support to Ukraine, although it has supported humanitarian aid. It has faced tremendous pressure from the so-called Coalition of the Willing. Several countries—Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland—refused permission for Fico’s plane to use their airspace while he travelled to Moscow for the Victory Day event.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke on May 9 at a press conference during a visit to Stockholm, and not only reiterated his support for NATO, but sharply criticized Fico’s visit to Moscow, reported the Brussels Times. “Robert Fico knows this is not our shared view. I deeply regret his attendance, and we will discuss his visit to Moscow with him,” said Merz.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded swiftly to Merz’s remarks, noting in coverage by Sputnik that “There would be no Europe Day without the victory of the Soviet people. There would be nothing but a vast concentration camp with gas chambers,” in reference to the defeat of Nazi Germany and the crucial role played by the Soviet Union in doing so.