Fitso offers Zelensky to meet in Davos, and called his invitation to Kyiv “childish”

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a new date and place of meeting, but he has not yet received an answer. He wrote about this on his Facebook page on January 17 following a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“In the conversation, I also informed the Chancellor of Germany that for several days we have been proposing to hold a joint meeting with Mr. Zelensky on Tuesday evening in Davos, at the World Economic Forum, where we will both be present. Apart from the children’s invitation to Kyiv, Zelenskyy has not yet responded to this offer,” the post states.

The Prime Minister of Slovakia emphasized that this meeting in Davos can determine the future of Slovak-Ukrainian relations.

“Zelensky’s decision to stop the transit of gas through Ukraine causes significant damage to Slovakia and causes billions in losses to the entire European Union. If President Zelenskyi’s decision is not reversed, Slovakia will take measures in response,” the post reads.

He also mentioned the visit of the Slovak opposition to Kyiv and stated that they “blindly and uncritically take the side of the Ukrainian side and prefer Ukrainian interests to Slovak interests.”

The Office of the President of Ukraine did not say whether negotiations are ongoing regarding a possible meeting of politicians.

Today, January 17, Zelensky met in Kyiv with the leader of the largest opposition party “Progressive Slovakia” Michal Shimechka.

“Friday. I was waiting for one leader of Slovakia – another one arrived. The meeting with Slovak parliamentarians was good. The delegation is headed by Michal Shimechka. We talked very concretely and constructively,” Zelenskyy wrote in a telegram after the meeting.

The Slovak opposition announced on January 15 that it will initiate a vote of no confidence in the government of Robert Fico, accusing the prime minister of rapprochement in foreign policy with Russia, rather than solving the country’s internal problems.

On January 13, Fico said that Slovakia loses 500 million euros a year due to the cessation of gas transit from Russia and offered a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, on the territory of Slovakia. The Ukrainian president invited Fico to Kyiv this Friday, January 17.

After that, the prime minister of Slovakia said that he could meet with Zelensky in the next few days, but did not specify where this meeting could take place.

Fico traveled to Moscow last month for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine, but did not visit Kyiv.