Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico may meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the "next few days," he told journalists on Jan. 16, iRozhlas reported.
"We are looking for another date, which should be in the next few days," Fico said when asked about a potential meeting with Zelensky.
Fico did not specify where the meeting might take place.
Fico had earlier offered Zelensky a meeting at the Slovak-Ukrainian border to discuss Ukraine's decision to end Russian gas transit through Ukraine. In response, the Ukrainian president invited the Slovak prime minister to Kyiv.
Following Zelensky's invitation, Tibor Gaspar, deputy speaker of the Slovak Parliament, said that Fico would not be visiting the Ukrainian capital.
Ukraine did not renew a pre-war agreement to transit Russian gas to Europe via Ukrainian territory, instead allowing the deal to expire on Jan. 1. Kyiv warned repeatedly that it would not extend the deal in order to stop financing Russia's full-scale war.
Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban have been among some of the most vocal opponents of Ukraine's decision to stop Russian gas transit.
Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Orban and Fico have continued to maintain friendly ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with him, and promoting pro-Russian narratives in Europe.
Fico previously threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine amid increasing blackouts due to Russian attacks targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
While the EU has made efforts to reduce dependency on Russian fossil fuels following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many countries, including Slovakia and Hungary, remain reliant on Russian gas.
Paula Erizanu
(Updated: )
