Fico will come to Lviv, but simultaneously resumes economic talks with Russia

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced intergovernmental talks with Ukraine, to be held on November 5 in Lviv. At the same time, Bratislava is preparing to resume the work of a joint economic commission with Russia, scheduled for November 25 in Moscow. This will be the first such meeting since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Fico announced the upcoming talks on October 14 at a meeting of the parliamentary European affairs committee, writes the Slovak newspaper SME. Politico revealed details of the planned resumption of economic cooperation with Moscow, having obtained a document from the Russian government.

According to Fico, the meeting in Lviv will be the fourth intergovernmental consultation between Ukraine and Slovakia under his government. Main topics include humanitarian assistance, restoring border crossing points on the shared border, and opening a school for Ukrainian children in Bratislava.

However, concurrently, the Slovak government is finalizing preparations for talks with Russia. Fico explained the simultaneous contacts with Kyiv and Moscow by his foreign policy "on all four sides of the world".

"So that there are no surprises, on November 25 there will also be a meeting of the joint economic commission with the Russian Federation", - said the Slovak Prime Minister.

According to Politico, the main topics of negotiations with Moscow are expected to be supplies of Russian gas, oil, and nuclear fuel for Slovak power plants.

The publication received a Russian government briefing note dated September 10, prepared by Russian Science Minister Valery Falkov. According to the document, during a video call on August 20, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar agreed to resume the meetings of the intergovernmental commission. Politico notes that it could not independently confirm the authenticity of the document.

The note says that the Slovak side opposed European Union plans to gradually phase out imports of Russian gas and stressed the need to maintain Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline. Bratislava's representatives also positively assessed the continuation of Russian nuclear fuel supplies.

The planned talks will not be limited to energy. According to the Russian document, the parties are also considering the creation of working groups on agriculture, tourism, culture, and environmental protection. Additionally, they plan to discuss the status of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Bratislava and the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia has previously officially confirmed the fact of preparations for the meeting. In August, Blanar held online talks with Falkov, who is under EU sanctions. According to the Slovak foreign ministry, Fico reached an agreement with Vladimir Putin to resume the work of the commission back in 2025.

The joint Slovak-Russian commission for economic, scientific, and technical cooperation last met on November 12, 2021. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its activities were halted.

Bratislava's decision to resume this format of cooperation drew criticism from the Slovak opposition. Former Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok spoke against the resumption of economic contacts with Moscow during the war.

At the same time, Fico stated that Slovakia would not provide financial guarantees for a possible new EU loan for Ukraine, maintaining its previous position on joint financing.

Both initiatives of the Slovak government were announced on the eve of the EU summit on October 15-16, where European leaders will discuss further support for Ukraine, energy security, and countering Russian threats.

Based on materials from: Politico, SME / euBrief, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia