Fico: “I will not miss a single opportunity to hold dialogue with Putin”

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he intends to continue dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and will not pass up any opportunity to do so.

He made the statement in a video address to the country’s citizens on Facebook.

“I will not miss a single opportunity to hold dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Fico said.

The Slovak prime minister stressed that he is a supporter of dialogue with Russia. He also noted that he holds talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite having “a diametrically opposite view on many issues.”

Fico also outlined Slovakia’s position on the international stage: according to him, the country remains peaceful and is fighting for the observance of international law.

“We are sovereign in our views. We must be interested in maintaining friendly and mutually beneficial relations with everyone who treats Slovakia the same way,” he said.

In the same address, Fico condemned what he called “the European Union’s double standards.”