EU should investigate Ukraine, not Slovakia – lawmaker

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s demand for the EU to investigate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is absurd, a member of parliament from Slovakia’s ruling party told RT. Richard Gluck argued that Kiev is the one violating its deal with the bloc not to obstruct energy deliveries.

Fico traveled to Moscow over the weekend to discuss with President Vladimir Putin how Bratislava can continue to buy Russian oil, gas and nuclear fuel. Zelensky criticized the meeting on social media.

The prime minister’s decision to go to Moscow was “very smart” and “how all sovereign countries should act,” Gluck told RT on Monday.

“Russia is our partner,” he added. “We need to have good energy supplies for a reasonable price.”

Zelensky claimed that Bratislava’s engagement with Moscow is “a big security issue” for the EU and raises the question of how much Russia is paying Fico. The Ukrainian leader urged Slovakia’s “law enforcement and special services” to get involved in the matter.

Gluck disagreed with Zelensky’s assessment, noting that Fico has committed no crime. He said that the democratically elected prime minister acted as the leader of a sovereign country to protect Slovakia’s interests.

Zelensky’s comments are “a little bit funny,” Gluck said, given that Ukraine violated the terms of its application to join the EU by blocking gas deliveries to a member of the bloc. Gluck suggested that the EU should investigate this issue instead.

Slovakia needs to keep the lights on and its industry running and “cannot afford to act like children,” Gluck said.

After his meeting with Putin, Fico said his trip to Russia was in response to Zelensky’s refusal to allow the transit of Russian natural gas to Slovakia. “Such attitudes financially harm Slovakia and threaten the operation of nuclear power plants in Slovakia, which is unacceptable,” Fico said at the time.

Russia delivers gas to Slovakia mainly through the Soviet-era Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline. Kiev is unwilling to extend the gas transit agreement with Moscow, which is set to expire on December 31.

Last week, Fico accused Zelensky of offering him a bribe of €500 million ($521 million) in exchange for Bratislava supporting Kiev’s bid to join NATO. The Slovak prime minister has publicly said he would veto any attempt by Ukraine to become a member of the US-led military bloc, as this would amount to a war with Russia.