Poland has received a formal request from Slovakia seeking permission for the Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, to fly to Moscow. This was confirmed by Maciej Wewiór, a spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who told PAP that the request is currently under review. Previously, the Baltic nations have denied such flight permissions.
Prime Minister Fico has expressed a desire to strengthen relations with the Russian government. In November 2024, he participated in an interview on Russia’s state-run Rossiya-1 television, during which he criticised the European Union’s approach to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Additionally, last May, he attended World War II commemorations in Moscow at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Under Fico’s leadership, the Slovak government has fostered closer ties with Russia, even in light of the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. Following Viktor Orbán‘s electoral defeat on 12 April, Fico remains the only prime minister in the European Union to express loyalty to Putin.
On 4 April, Fico called upon the European Union to re-engage in dialogue with Moscow and to reassess sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports. He has also opposed EU initiatives to support Ukraine.
The Baltic countries have reaffirmed their position by refusing to grant transit rights for Fico’s travel to Moscow, as they did the previous year. Estonia, along with other EU and NATO member states, follows a coordinated procedure for issuing landing and overflight permits for official visits; however, this does not extend to flights utilising Estonian airspace for travel to Russia, as stated by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Similar supportive positions have been expressed by Lithuania and Latvia, as noted by Prime Minister Fico himself.
The three Baltic nations have consistently refused to permit planes carrying foreign officials to traverse their airspace en route to Moscow, particularly for the 9 May commemorations, which celebrate the USSR’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. In December 2024, the then Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna confirmed that Fico would not be allowed to fly to Moscow for the 9 May parade, which is viewed as glorifying the aggressor. Lithuania and Latvia have echoed this stance, emphasising that “No country can use our airspace to strengthen ties with Russia at a time when Moscow continues to violate international norms, commit aggression against Ukraine, and act against the security of all of Europe.”
As a result, Prime Minister Fico had to take a longer route, utilising a corridor through Hungary and Romania and across the Black Sea. Similarly, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was required to follow an alternative trajectory.
