Slovak Prime Minister Fico rejected Zelensky’s invitation to come to Kyiv for talks on the transit of Russian gas

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has turned down an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Kyiv on Friday to discuss the transit of Russian gas.

This was reported by Slovak Parliament Deputy Speaker Tibor Gašpar in a comment to Russian media.

“Yesterday, Prime Minister Fico published an open letter to Zelensky and invited him for negotiations. Zelensky responded by suggesting that Fico come to Kyiv on Friday. This is not possible. I don’t think this will happen,” said Gašpar, who is currently visiting Moscow.

It is worth noting that the Slovak Prime Minister had proposed meeting the Ukrainian President somewhere near the border, while Zelensky invited him to Kyiv.

Previously, a verbal exchange took place between Fico and Zelensky. The Slovak Prime Minister referred to Zelensky as a “beggar” and called for an end to the Ukrainian leader’s trips across Europe to seek money and weapons.

This statement was made in the context of a conflict over the transit of Russian gas, which had been halted by Kyiv, causing economic harm to Slovakia.

In response, Zelensky accused the Slovak Prime Minister of engaging in shadowy dealings with Moscow. Fico stated that he had decided not to respond to these remarks from the Ukrainian President.