• Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the only EU leader at the Moscow parade, called for renewed cooperation between Europe and Russia.
  • Fico rejected a ’new iron curtain’ between the EU and Russia and expressed interest in normal relations with Russia.
  • He described the EU’s intention to abandon Russian energy as ‘ideological’ and harmful to European competitiveness.
  • He warned that replacing Russian energy dependence with American leads to more expensive energy.
  • Slovakia still heavily depends on Russian oil, and Fico blames Ukraine partly for Slovakia’s economic problems.
  • Putin praised the ‘sovereign foreign policy’ of the Slovak government and promised to meet Bratislava’s energy needs.