Zelenskyy invites Fico to Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to Kyiv for a meeting on Friday, responding to Fico's earlier letter, according to the Ukrainian leader's post on X.

"Ok. Come to Kyiv on Friday [January 17]," Zelenskyy wrote.

The Ukrainian president included screenshots of Fico's Facebook post, where the Slovak politician invited Zelenskyy to meet and discuss controversies surrounding the halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine.

Fico suggested the meeting could take place in Slovakia near the Ukrainian border. He has not yet responded to Zelenskyy's invitation to meet in Kyiv.

Earlier, on January 11, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini stated that his visit to Ukraine is out of the question until Kyiv resumes Russian gas transit.

The five-year agreement for Russian gas transit between Ukraine and Russia expired on January 1, 2025. Since 7 a.m. that day, gas transportation from the eastern entry point "Sudzha" to western and southern exit points has been halted.

On January 12, Fico threatened to veto future military aid packages for Ukraine from European allies in response to the halt in Russian gas transit.

Previously, Fico threatened to stop electricity supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv did not agree to resume Russian gas transit.

On January 11, he called Zelenskyy a "beggar" and an "unreliable partner," unlike Russia, which he claimed has never deceived Slovakia.