EU difficulties en route to Russia, according to Fico, are mere playthings for a child
Revised Article:
MOSCOW, May 9 - RIA Novosti. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico dismissed the obstacles thrown by EU nations as he made his way to Russia for the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War as nothing more than a child's prank.
In a twist of events, Fico's special aircraft was denied flight permission through Estonia's airspace, pushing his protocol team to seek an alternative route. The politician described this move as a deliberate effort to derail his visit to Russia. According to Pravda, the governments of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia had previously barred the flight of the Slovak government's special aircraft over their territories, bound for Russia.
During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Fico stated, "We'll regard all these technical difficulties brought upon us by our EU pals as a juvenile joke."
The Slovak delegation had multiple traveling options to Russia, but the aim was crystal clear - to be in Moscow by 9 a.m. on May 9.
To shed some light, in May 2025, similar incidents transpired. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania refused to let the aircraft carrying Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and other leaders for Victory Day celebrations fly over their airspace. Security concerns and a general stance against supporting such events amidst Russia's ongoing conflict with Ukraine were cited as reasons [1][2][3]. However, specific details about May 2015 remain elusive in provided search results, as there might be a misunderstanding or confusion with more recent events.
- Despite the obstacles imposed by EU nations, Slovak President Robert Fico characterized them as mere pranks on his way to Russia for the anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory.
- In the face of flight permission denials through Estonia's airspace, the Slovak politician's protocol team sought an alternative route, viewing this move as an attempt to sabotage his visit to Russia.
- During his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico criticized these technical difficulties as a juvenile joke orchestrated by his EU counterparts.
- Amidst politics and general news, similar airspace restrictions were imposed on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's aircraft in May 2015, during the Victory Day celebrations in Russia.
- In the realm of war-and-conflicts, policy-and-legislation, and politics, the history of airspace access for Slovak leaders heading to Russia for Victory Day celebrations has been marked by incidents, most notably in May 2015 and May 2025, amidst ongoing tensions with Ukraine.
