Slovak delegation to travel to Moscow to "develop" dialogue initiated by their PM Fico

A delegation of Slovakia's far-right MPs, led by Deputy Speaker and leader of the nationalist party SNS Andrej Danko, is set to travel to Russia in January to "develop dialogue" following the visit of Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.

According to Slovak television channel ta3, the delegation will also include members of the ruling SMER-SD party Tibor Gašpar, Richard Glück, Adam Lučanský and two other lawmakers.

Danko stated that the purpose of the visit is to restore normal relations with Russia through meetings with Russian parliamentarians and government representatives.

"Speaking in [Russia’s] State Duma is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is an honour for any politician. I am proud to join the approximately 30 world leaders who have spoken there," he said.

Danko believes that parliaments should take the first step toward restoring communication after a prolonged period of disengagement.

"Prime Minister Robert Fico initiated this dialogue and it is now the parliament’s task to advance it," Danko added.

The visit to Moscow is scheduled for 10 January and has been approved by Peter Žiga, the acting Speaker of the Parliament, meaning it will be financed from the Slovak budget.

Slovakia has repeatedly sought to extend the agreement between Ukraine and Russia on Russian gas transit, which is set to expire at the end of 2024.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is not considering renewing the agreement with Gazprom for gas transit and made it clear that Kyiv will not agree to transport Russian gas under the guise of Azerbaijani gas.

Against this backdrop, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made a controversial visit to Russia, where he met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.