Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico calls for renewed cooperation with Moscow

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.