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Slovak Prime minister Fico will meet Xi and Zelenskiy in the next week

Fico announced on Monday that the Slovak prime minister Robert Fico would hold bilateral meetings this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at China's World War Two Anniversary celebrations in Beijing.

In a Friday statement, he announced that he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the eastern part of Slovakia. Fico has had tense relationships with Zelenskiy, who is the leader of a NATO member and EU country, but opposes Western sanctions against Russia. Fico has also broken ranks with European Allies. In December, he met Putin in Moscow. Fico is the only European Union leader who will attend the celebrations of Xi's birthday in Beijing. Xi, along with the leaders of North Korea and Iran and Myanmar, will be flanked in a display of solidarity by the West.

Fico stated in an email that he "respects every victim of the struggle against fascism" and has stood in the past with respect before memorials in Moscow or Washington.

"I regret and admit that I don't understand why only Slovakia is going to be in Beijing." "A new world order, new rules for multipolarity, and new balance of power are being created, which is very important for world stability."

He stated that it was important to take advantage of the chance to meet world leaders and that he informed EU officials about his trip.

He did not specify his agenda for the meetings with Zelenskiy or in Beijing. The Slovakian government reacted angrily when Ukraine refused to renew the contract for Russian gas shipping to Slovakia at the end last year. This forced Slovakia to look for alternative suppliers and use other routes to get Russian gas.

The Slovakian government is also keen to continue the imports of Russian crude oil via the Druzhba pipe, which temporarily stopped in the last two weeks following Ukrainian attacks against the pipeline in Russia. (Reporting and editing by William Maclean in Prague and Rod Nickel.)

(source: Reuters)