Fico will travel to Moscow on May 9 to meet with Putin, but is not going to the parade

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he will visit Moscow on May 9 and meet with Putin, but will not participate in the military parade.

He told reporters about this on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit, SME reports.

Fico says he is going to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow "to express gratitude for the liberation on behalf of the Slovak people".

"And Iʼm supposed to have a short meeting with Putin. Thatʼs all. Iʼm not going to attend any parade. It will be the same format as before," the Slovak prime minister said.

However, last week the Kremlin reported that the Slovak prime minister would be among the foreign guests at the military parade in Moscow on May 9. The Baltic states and Poland have banned Fico from using their airspace to fly to Moscow, but the Czech Republic has allowed it. His exact route is unknown.

According to Fico, at the summit in Yerevan, none of the European leaders asked him about the trip to Russia because, he said, everyone knows that he has "arguments that cannot be refuted".

The Slovak Prime Minister emphasized that, in his opinion, dialogue is necessary and that he “will not allow himself to be driven into a position where he should feel any remorse”.

• Last year, Slovak Prime Minister Fico also flew to Moscow on May 9, despite the ban on flying over their territories by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. He flew via Hungary, Romania, and Georgia.

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