The European Parliament wanted to condemn Fico's trip to Moscow. Far-right MEPs blocked the vote, Uhrík also had his back

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico plans to visit Moscow next year to celebrate Victory Day, which has provoked a sharp reaction from some members of the public and some foreign leaders. Russia has been waging an aggressive invasion of Ukraine for more than 1 000 days.

MEPs in the European Parliament also addressed the issue on Thursday, attempting to formally criticise Fico's move. The Aktuality.sk portal drew attention to the event.

The author of the resolution condemning the planned trip was Dutch MEP Thijs Reuten from the Socialist (S&D) faction. Fico's Smer-SD was once part of this very faction. However, the party's membership was cancelled after Smer formed a coalition with the SNS nationalists, who the faction considers too radical.

The proposal was part of a broader debate on support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia and on Russia's cooperation with North Korea.

There was no vote

However, there was no vote on condemnation. The motion was tabled orally at the last minute, which allowed it to be blocked. Only 30 votes were needed, out of a total of 720 MEPs.

Surprisingly, they were dominated by representatives of far-right factions, including the Patriots for Europe group, which includes allies of Viktor Orbán and Andrej Babiš. Milan Uhrík (Republic/Europe of Sovereign Nations) also expressed support for Fico.

In the past, when he was still a member of the Slovak Parliament, he defined himself against Smer. In the colours of the ĽSNS, he described Fico's party as "semi-mafia-like". Later, however, the Republika movement and Smer cooperated during the collection of votes for the referendum on early elections.

Uhrík blamed the "sunbathers"

"The 'Sunbathers' have just given an amendment that wants to condemn Robert Fico for being invited to Moscow," Uhrík said in a video posted on the social network.

"Our faction is opposed to this and we are opposed to the European Parliament dictating to the prime minister of a sovereign country where he can and cannot go," he added.

Martin Hojsík, deputy chairman of the European Parliament from Progressive Slovakia (PS/Renew), also commented on the situation. "The Socialists found out about Robert Fico's plan just before the vote and came up with this proposal. In my opinion, this is a clear slap in the face to Robert Fico. It shows where he belongs politically," Aktuality.sk quotes him as saying.

Smer, on the other hand, described the situation as unjustified criticism. "Every prime minister has the right to talk to whomever he wants, he has the right to visit any country," MEP Katarína Roth Neveďalová responded. In her view, this was an attempt by the Socialists to "embarrassingly show that they are better".

See the report on Fico's announced trip to Moscow: