Slovak Prime Minister Fico said he is not yet ready to meet with Zelensky

Ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico wants to coordinate a position with the European Commission on the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine.

Fico said this in a video address on X.

“I said that I am interested in meeting President Zelensky. But this should be preceded by a meeting with the President of the European Commission. On Tuesday I am going to Paris for a nuclear forum. And then we will try to arrange a meeting with the head of the European Commission—during these days while I am in France,” Fico said.

He also stated that Bratislava and Brussels should jointly “pressure” Zelensky on the issue of restarting the pipeline. Fico claims that Ukraine is “causing damage to the entire European Union” and therefore is losing the support of an increasing number of countries.

Fico also said that the venue for a potential meeting with Zelensky has not been agreed, and that the meeting is generally pointless as long as Ukraine does not “demonstratively” resume operation of the pipeline.

As a reminder, Ukraine transports Russian oil across its territory to Europe via the Druzhba oil pipeline. The current contract runs until the end of 2029.

In August 2025, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out several strikes on facilities in Russia linked to the Druzhba pipeline. After another attack on August 22, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó complained to EU authorities about disruptions in deliveries of Russian oil.

On January 27, 2026, Russia struck for the first time an infrastructure facility in the city of Brody in Lviv region connected to the Druzhba pipeline.

On February 23, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said the Druzhba pipeline was not damaged and that the halt in Russian oil supplies to Hungary was allegedly a political decision by Ukraine. At the same time, European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen refuted his claim, saying the pipeline’s shutdown was the result of Russia’s actions.

The Ukrainian Presidential Office reported on February 27 that Zelensky had invited Fico to Ukraine. Fico agreed to talks, but said he would like to meet “on the territory of one of the EU member states that the President of Ukraine visits frequently.”

Ukraine proposed specific dates for Fico’s visit to Ukraine—March 6 or March 9.