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Fico said that during his visit to Moscow, he delivered a message from Zelenskyy to Putin.<\/p>\n
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“He (Zelenskyy \u2014 ed.) told me in Armenia during our personal meeting that he is ready to meet Vladimir Putin in any format,” the Slovak premier said.<\/p>\n
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At the same time, he publicly relayed the response he said he received from the Russian leader to the Ukrainian president”s message.<\/p>\n
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“If the Ukrainian president is interested in a meeting, he should contact his Russian counterpart by phone,” Fico said.<\/p>\n
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The Slovak prime minister also praised the extension of the ceasefire regime until May 11.<\/p>\n
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“I called the ceasefire absolutely necessary to create space for what is essential \u2014 diplomatic efforts, dialogue, negotiations, which are a thousand times more useful than mutual killing,” he added.<\/p>\n
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Fico also said he “rejects a new Iron Curtain between the EU and Russia” and is “interested in standard, friendly, and mutually beneficial relations with this world state.”<\/p>\n
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\nMessage to Putin
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Earlier, Slovak Foreign Ministry Secretary Rastislav Chovanec said that Prime Minister Robert Fico would deliver a message from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Vladimir Putin<\/a> during his visit to Moscow on May 9.<\/p>\n
According to him, Fico could also receive valuable information from the Kremlin leader on his views of efforts to end the war.<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy’s office clarified that Fico likely brought a signal to Moscow indicating that the Ukrainian president is ready for a leaders’ meeting to end the war<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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