Fico announces meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday – media

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he would meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. At the same time, he confirmed that he would hold talks with Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China, Dennik N reports.

Fico criticised the position of other European Union countries, which ignore Chinese celebrations marking the end of World War II.

"I personally feel sorry, and I admit that I do not even understand why only the Slovak Republic will be represented in Beijing among EU member states. A new world order is being created, new rules of a multipolar world, a new balance of power, which is extremely important for stability in the world. Being part of such discussions means maintaining a dialogue and not playing the offended child," he said.

The prime minister said he had informed EU officials about his trip in advance, and Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar also spoke with EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas.

"After returning from Beijing on Thursday evening, I will travel to eastern Slovakia to have a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday," Fico said.

On June 28, Fico reportedly said he saw no point in meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy because he "hates" him, Aktuality reports.