Slovakia's Fico stirs controversy with interview on Russian TV
The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, has become the first head of government from a NATO and European Union member state to give an interview to the Russian television channel Rossiya-1 since the onset of Russia's aggression in Ukraine. During the interview, he expressed his willingness to meet with Vladimir Putin.
"If necessary, I am ready to talk to President Putin without hesitation," Fico stated during the conversation with Olga Skabeyeva, the host of the programme "60 minutes," as reported by Slovak media.
The Prime Minister also expressed his intention to take part in the 80th-anniversary commemorations of the end of World War II in Moscow next year. He assured that he would "gladly attend these ceremonies."
Fico noted that Ukraine should receive security guarantees. However, he also stated that "there is no rational justification for why Russia would be interested in conflict with the entire world."
The Slovak Prime Minister stated that Kyiv, by seeking medium and long-range missiles, only escalates tension.
Fico on Russian television: the opposition calls it a disgrace
Fico's appearance on Russian television was met with sharp criticism in Slovakia. Michal Šimečka, the leader of the opposition movement Progressive Slovakia (PS), called it a "disgrace."
Olga Skabeyeva, known for hosting the propaganda programme "60 minutes," introduced the interview as an "exclusive interview with the leader of a NATO and EU country - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who survived an assassination attempt for his views on Ukraine." Excerpts of the conversation were published on the Telegram platform.
To recall, the Prime Minister of Slovakia was shot on 15th May in the town of Handlová in the west of the country, where an offsite government meeting was taking place, when he went out onto the street to greet his supporters.
The 71-year-old assailant, who fired several shots at the Prime Minister from a short distance with a pistol, was arrested. During the investigation, he testified that he acted out of political motivations.
