Fico Faces Criticism for Silence on Attacks, Merz Cancels Visit to Slovakia

Prime Minister Robert Fico attended the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on Saturday, May 9, as the only invited leader from the European Union, and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On this occasion, Fico claimed that he had delivered a message to Putin from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about his willingness to meet in any format. However, the Russian Kremlin later partially refuted these claims, when advisor Yuri Ushakov stated that it was rather about Fico's information regarding recent meetings with Zelensky. dennikn.sk ↗

However, new developments bring criticism of the prime minister for his stance on security threats. The opposition is criticizing the government for its inaction following a massive Russian drone attack in the Zakarpattia region, only tens of kilometers from the Slovak border. While in Hungary the prime minister, president, and government immediately condemned the attacks, in Slovakia Fico, Deputy Prime Minister Pellegrini, and Minister Blanár remained silent. According to opposition MP Šimečka, this stance represents "sovereign bowing to Putin." The opposition is calling for a meeting of the Security Council of the Slovak Republic. The Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke up only later. hnonline.sk ↗

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Korčok also announced that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had canceled his planned visit to Slovakia. Prime Minister Fico has not yet responded to this information. dennikn.sk ↗

In the economic sphere, Fico stated that he expects the coalition council to discuss measures to support economic growth on Thursday, May 14. The government adopted a report on the preservation of Slovakia's rating by the Fitch agency at A- with a stable outlook, which Fico called good news. However, the opposition KDH called this report stagnation, since not even three rounds of consolidation have so far brought about an increase in the rating. The prime minister guaranteed that the thirteenth pension would not be changed. ta3.com ↗

After returning from Moscow, Fico urgently convened a meeting with the management of the energy company Transpetrol in connection with negotiations on oil and gas supplies from Russia. He spoke about the involvement of American entities in energy transit and maintained the line about the need to preserve all available supply options, including Russian sources. forum24.cz ↗

On the occasion of the celebrations marking the end of World War II in Liptovský Mikuláš, Fico declared that freedom and peace came to Slovakia from the east. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, who visited Slovakia, is also planning to ask Prime Minister Fico about the details of his meeting with Putin. ekonomika.pravda.sk ↗

Meanwhile, the opposition is criticizing the prime minister from among the leading politicians. Opposition politicians point to the security risk posed by Russian attacks close to the border and warn that the government should enable the army, through an operational law, to respond to any potential violation of Slovak airspace by an enemy. teraz.sk ↗