Slovak PM defies EU diplomat, confirms Moscow visit on May 9
The Slovak Prime Minister has announced his intention to participate in the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, despite warnings from EU diplomat Kaja Kallas. In an emotional statement, he accused her of disrespect and attempting to impose political decisions on a sovereign nation.
What you need to know
- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced his participation in the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, defying warnings from EU diplomat Kaja Kallas.
- Kaja Kallas has opposed the participation of EU candidate countries in the Moscow celebrations, warning that such participation on 9 May would be taken seriously.
- Fico has responded by accusing Kallas of disrespect and trying to impose political decisions on Slovakia.
We do not want EU candidate countries to participate in the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on 9 May, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday following a meeting of EU foreign ministers. She warned that participation in the Moscow celebrations would be taken seriously.
Prime Minister Fico stands up to Brussels
The pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico, who sympathises with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, echoed these sentiments.
"I will go to Moscow on May 9th. Is Ms. Kallas's warning a form of blackmail or a signal that I will be punished upon my return from Moscow? I don’t know. But I do know that the year is 2025, not 1939. Ms. Kallas’s warning confirms that we need a discussion within the EU about the essence of democracy. About what happened in Romania and France in connection with presidential elections, about the "Maidans" organized by the West in Georgia and Serbia, and how the abuse of criminal law against the opposition in Slovakia has been ignored," Fico wrote on the X platform.
"Ms. Kallas, I would like to inform you that I am the legitimate Prime Minister of Slovakia – a sovereign country. No one can dictate to me where I can or cannot travel. I will go to Moscow to pay tribute to the thousands of Red Army soldiers who died liberating Slovakia, as well as to the millions of other victims of Nazi terror. Just as I have paid tribute to the victims of the Normandy landings, or those in the Pacific, or as I plan to honor the RAF pilots," he added.
Fico considers himself one of the "few in the EU who consistently speaks about the need for peace in Ukraine and does not support the continuation of this senseless war."
"Ms. Kallas’s words are disrespectful and I strongly object to them," he concluded.
Military parade in Moscow
Russia organises its celebration of the end of World War II on 9 May. Various events occur throughout Russia on this occasion. A military parade will be held in Moscow; soldiers who participated in the fighting in Ukraine will be among those marching.
Among those who have announced their participation in the event are Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, and Aleksandar Vučić, the President of Serbia, one of the nine countries applying for EU membership.
In addition to Serbia, the countries with candidate status for the EU are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
