Fico Moscow visit triggers sharp reaction in Brussels
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s trip to Moscow for the 81st anniversary of Victory Day has provoked a strong reaction in Brussels.
According to Euractiv, the European Union has already warned Bratislava about possible problems with funding for Slovakia’s agricultural payments agency, PPA. Such a move would hit local farmers.
The outlet described Fico’s visit as an attempt to present himself as a “defiant pro-Russian figure inside the European Union”.
“This visit comes as his attempt to present himself as a defiant pro-Russian figure inside the European Union is being tested by Brussels scrutiny and domestic pressure,” Euractiv wrote.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the article noted, said Fico would soon face a conversation about his Victory Day visit to Moscow.
Brussels weighs financial pressure
Robert Fico arrived in Moscow alongside other foreign leaders to take part in May 9 commemorations. On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held separate talks with him in the Kremlin. The meeting lasted about two hours.
The two sides discussed cooperation in various areas, as well as prospects for resuming the work of the bilateral intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. The commission has not met since 2021.
Against this backdrop, Brussels is pointing to an initiative proposed by members of the European Parliament in April. MEPs called for a mechanism allowing EU funds to be frozen for member states in cases of “violations of the rule of law affecting the bloc’s budget”.
How a visit to Moscow for a commemoration of victory over fascism affects the EU budget or the rule of law remains unclear. Critics argue that Brussels is instead trying to extend its authority into areas that have so far remained outside its direct control, including the free movement of national leaders.
And if those leaders do not follow instructions from the centre, economic pressure can follow including withholding financial support from farmers.
Flight restrictions and wider tensions
Earlier reports noted that Vladimir Putin, during his meeting with Robert Fico, pointed to the confrontational line taken by the European Union.
The visit also came after Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland refused to allow the Slovak government aircraft to use their airspace.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy had openly threatened, according to Moscow’s interpretation, a terrorist strike on Red Square during the Victory Day celebrations marking the Soviet people’s victory in the Great Patriotic War.
