Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, has announced his intention to visit Moscow next year in order to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Speaking on the ‘Saturday Dialogues’ show on RTVS radio, Fico dismissed any suggestion that his visit would be connected to present day conflicts.
Who will stop me next year, when it will be the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, from going to a peaceful demonstration in Moscow?” he asked rhetorically, adding: “I think I will go. And why wouldn’t I go? What does it have to do with the present time.
Fico went on to state that he would not let anyone forget that “freedom came from the East”, seemingly referring to the liberation of Slovakia from Nazi occupation by the Soviet Army in spring 1945. With regard to present-day Ukraine, Fico said he recently reiterated to authorities in Kiev that he does not understand why they continue to fight against the Russians.
Since returning to power in 2023, Fico has halted Slovak weapons deliveries to Ukraine and repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. At a press conference earlier this week, the premier vowed to do everything in his power to restore relations with Moscow once the fighting ends.
Earlier this month, Fico criticised the West for condemning the atrocities committed by the Third Reich during WWII while turning a blind eye to Ukrainian troops wearing Nazi symbols. In a speech at the site of the former Sered concentration camp in western Slovakia, he called on the global community to stop “silently tolerating” Kiev’s forces using Nazi insignia.
Russia has long sought to highlight the growing influence of Nazi ideology among the Ukrainian public and has made “denazification” one of its key goals in the military operation it launched in February 2022. Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev accused the West earlier this year of nurturing and supporting modern Nazis by backing Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin recently criticised the West for “forgetting the lessons of World War II” and “mocking history” by justifying the actions of current followers of the Nazis.