Putin meets Slovak PM Fico at Kremlin 

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico prior to their talks in Moscow on Dec. 22, 2024. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov / Pool / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks at the Kremlin on Sunday with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, one of the few European leaders he has stayed friendly with since the eruption of hostilities with Ukraine, according to Russian television. "Putin is currently holding talks in the Kremlin with Slovak Prime Minister Fico," Russian TV journalist Pavel Zarubin, a Kremlin insider, posted on his Telegram channel, along with a short video showing the two leaders. The visit by Fico, whose country is both a NATO and European Union member, had not been previously announced. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told Zarubin however that it had been arranged "a few days ago." Peskov did not give details of the talks but said it could be "presumed" that supplies of Russian gas would be discussed. Ukraine announced this year that it would not renew a contract allowing the transit of Russian gas through its territory that runs out on December 31. Slovakia and Hungary, which rely on Russian gas, have raised concerns about the prospect of losing supplies. Fico ended military aid to Ukraine when he became prime minister again in October 2023, and like Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban has called for peace talks. Fico announced in November that he would go to Moscow in May for ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.