Slovak PM alleges €500m bribe offer from Zelensky

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky of attempting to bribe him. Zelensky allegedly offered Slovakia €500 million from Russian assets in exchange for support for Ukraine's NATO membership, reports Politico.

The proposal reportedly came behind closed doors when Fico discussed Slovakia's financial losses due to the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine during a meeting with Zelensky at the European Union summit.

Fico claims that the President of Ukraine asked if he would vote for NATO membership if he was given €500 million from Russian assets.

Fico later told journalists that Zelensky's alleged proposals behind closed doors were "absurd" and suggested that Ukraine had harmed the economy of the EU member state.

Fico said that after he told Zelenskyy that Slovakia could lose about €500 million in gas transit fees a year, the Ukrainian president "asked me if I would then vote for NATO membership if he gave me €500 million of Russian assets, and of course, I said ‘never," writes Politico.

Zelensky criticised these words. "It’s a bit shameful to talk about money because we are losing people," he commented.

Source: Politico