MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The Western countries’ response to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's visit to Russia will be critical, but at the same time, they are well aware that Slovakia will find itself in a challenging situation due to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, Fyodor Lukyanov, the research director of the Valdai discussion club, told TASS.

"Naturally, the West will react negatively, because any attempt to communicate with President Putin is shunned, but I would not exaggerate, because in general, everyone understands - some say so outright, while others prefer to stay silent - that a number of countries, including Slovakia and Hungary, will get into a very tough situation if the flow of Russian gas stops," the expert said.

At the same time, Lukyanov emphasized that Fico, just like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has also visited Russia, is driven by the interests of his country and first of all "is accountable to his own citizens, and not the European Commission."

"To put it in a nutshell, the reaction will be negative, but in general, it is clear why they are doing this. In this case, in contrast to some others, when it is seen as simply political maneuvering, in this particular case, the motivation of Fico and Slovakia is clear," the analyst pointed out.

Lukyanov added that Kiev's reaction to Fico's visit would also be negative.

"Obviously, it’s going to be negative. It is common knowledge. Everything is obvious. There is one question, though: did he come up with some idea of how to either circumvent this hurdle or a clever strategy that would make it possible to either continue the gas transit or find a substitute," Lukyanov speculated. "Russia is ready, but Kiev is not. They tried to negotiate with Ukraine, but it didn't work, so it makes sense to come to Russia only if there are some other options to discuss with Moscow. Otherwise, it’s not worthwhile."

Fico's trip to Moscow

On December 22, Fico made a working trip to Russia. President Vladimir Putin received him in the Kremlin in private. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and Fico since 2016. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they discussed relations between Moscow and Bratislava, which had deteriorated under Slovakia's previous leadership, as well as energy and gas.

Fico is not the sole European politician who is in favor of contacts with Russia to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. In July 2024, Hungary's prime minister visited Moscow. On December 11, in a telephone conversation with Putin, Orban proposed a cease-fire and a major prisoner-of-war exchange between Russia and Ukraine over Christmas. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a telephone conversation with Putin on November 15. Each time Kiev reacted with sharp criticism and rejected mediation.