Slovak opposition MPs have lashed out after a parliamentary session on Prime Minister Robert Fico’s growing infatuation with Russia’s Vladimir Putin was monolpolised by the ruling party.
During a session of the parliamentary committee on European affairs, Fico was expected to explain his recent meeting in Moscow with the Russian leader. But the debate instead saw the populist Slovak premier launch fresh attacks on Ukraine and the domestic opposition, who were largely sidelined throughout.
The Friday session lasted 90 minutes, with over an hour filled with passionate defences of Fico by members of his Smer-SD party.
Opposition MPs, who had convened the meeting yet received little speaking time, expressed intense frustration at the meeting’s conduct.
“This entire activity has brought us nothing,” said Michal Šimečka, leader of the country’s largest opposition party Progressive Slovakia, adding that the meeting “turned into a farce”.
Juraj Krúpa of the centre-right SaS said he was “truly furious about how this unfolded” and accused Fico of working to maintain Russian influence in Slovakia.
Fico’s Moscow visit in December sparked pro-EU public protests across Slovakia, with the newest wave planned for Friday evening.
Lack of transparency
The opposition criticised Fico’s trip to Moscow as non-transparent – noting that even the president was not informed about it – and harmful to Slovakia’s international standing.
Fico did not publicly announce his plan to visit Moscow prior to the trip itself, with the the Slovak public only becoming aware of it after Russian media reports.
During Friday’s session, Fico told MPs he had informed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa about the trip days in advance.
How long Fico stayed in Moscow and on which plane he travelled there is unclear. The Slovak government has stated it was a private trip not funded by state money, despite Fico initially describing the meeting as work-related.
In the days following the Moscow visit, Fico’s whereabouts were unknown until Slovak newspaper Denník N and NGO Nadácia Zastavme Korupciu uncovered that he had been on a luxury vacation in Vietnam.
Fico’s hot air on gas transit
When Fico did field questions about the visit on Friday, he said his discussions with Putin focused on gas transit through Ukraine, ceasefire possibilities, and a potential peace summit in Slovakia.
But he also made several anti-Ukrainian statements, claiming that “unlike Ukraine, Russia has always been a reliable gas supplier,” appearing to absolve Russia of responsibility for their history of cutting gas supplies to Slovakia.
Fico has repeatedly criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of “going around Europe begging for money.”
[Edited by Owen Morgan]