Sawt Falasteen - Putin praises Slovak PM for 'independent' position

Slovak leader Robert Fico opposed EU sanctions on Russia over the 2022 full invasion of Ukraine, arguing the measures would put his country's energy security at risk, and has repeatedly criticised the Kyiv government.

"We highly value the independent foreign policy that you and your team, your government, are pursuing," Putin told Fico, the only EU leader to be attending World War II commemorations in Beijing.

Fico said Slovakia was "extremely interested" in standardising ties with Russia, adding that his country had begun to issue visas for Russian citizens.

The European Commission urged member states to be more restrictive in granting visas to Russians in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.

Tens of thousands of people rallied in Slovakia earlier this year against Fico seeking closer ties with Russia.

- Energy worries -

Fico is set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in western Ukraine on Friday.

He said they would discuss Ukraine's EU membership bid and oil supply disruptions caused by attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

"Such attacks on vitally important infrastructure are not possible," Fico said.

Putin suggested Slovakia and other countries in the region should retaliate by cutting off energy supplies to Ukraine.

"Shut off electricity supplies and they will immediately understand that there are some limits to their behaviour in the area of violating other people's interests," Putin told Fico.

Ukraine has targeted Russia's Druzhba oil pipeline, which carries oil to Slovakia and Hungary, throughout the conflict.

The EU imposed a ban on most oil imports from Russia in 2022 but exempted the Druzhba route to give landlocked Central European countries time to find alternative oil supplies.

Slovakia and fellow EU member Hungary have asked the European Commission -- the EU's executive arm -- to act against Ukraine's "repeated attacks" on the pipeline.

Fico has incessantly attacked Zelensky, labelling him "a comedian who lies as he breathes out" and accusing him of "needing this war" to keep his job.

T.Samara--SF-PST