Bratislava – Opposition MEPs Urge Slovak Prime Minister to Reconsider Moscow Trip
In an open letter, six Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from the opposition group Progressive Slovakia (PS) have called on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to withdraw from attending the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow. They referenced a statement from the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, who also urged EU leaders to skip the events in the Russian capital, according to TASR.
The opposition MEPs highlighted that Russia is currently engaged in a war against Ukraine, continuing from its aggressive actions that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
The letter states, “Celebrating peace with those who consciously destroy it is a slap in the face to the victims and a betrayal of the values upon which Europe and democracy are built. You advocate for peace—so why do you wish to celebrate alongside Putin, who instigated this war?” The MEPs from PS, affiliated with the Renew Europe (RE) group, pointed out the recent Russian airstrike on Sumy, which tragically resulted in the deaths of 34 individuals and injured over 100, an act that the Slovak Prime Minister failed to condemn.
MEP Ľubica Karvašová took to Facebook to echo Kallas’s call for EU leaders to distance themselves from Russia’s propaganda celebrations amidst the ongoing war in Europe. “We, MEPs from Progressive Slovakia, call for you to cancel this trip. Putin’s regime is responsible for the daily killings of civilians, abductions of children, and the destruction of Ukrainian cities. Participating in celebrations alongside Putin while Russia wages a brutal war against Ukraine is disgraceful and a betrayal of European values,” said Karvašová.
Tereza Mikáčová from the PS media department highlighted that Prime Minister Fico’s response to Kallas was a personal attack, accusing her of attempting to blackmail him. The letter, signed by MEPs Martin Hojsík, Ľubica Karvašová, Veronika Ostrihoňová, Ľudovít Ódor, Michal Wiezik, and Lucia Yar, noted that Fico’s reaction demonstrated his awareness of the seriousness of Kallas’s call.
The MEPs warned that Fico’s participation in the Moscow celebrations would send a message aligning him with the aggressor, potentially jeopardizing Slovakia’s standing within the European Union and isolating the country from its partners while inviting further Russian influence.
Responding to Kallas on social media, Fico stated, “No one can dictate to me where I should or should not travel. I will go to Moscow to honor the thousands of Red Army soldiers who died liberating the Slovak Republic, as well as the millions of other victims of the Nazis’ atrocities. Just as I have paid tribute to the victims of the Normandy landings or the Pacific, and how I will pay my respects to the RAF pilots.”
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**“Celebrating peace with those who consciously destroy it is a slap in the face to the victims and a betrayal of the values upon which Europe and democracy stand. It is you who publicly calls for peace – why then do you want to celebrate alongside Putin, who unleashed this war?”**
*MEPs from Progressive Slovakia*
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