Slovakia's PM Fico to attend Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russian TV says

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Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico on the day of a summit of the European Union and regional partners' leaders in Nicosia (Lefkosia), Cyprus, April 24, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

MOSCOW, May 3 (Reuters) - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is among only a handful of global leaders due ​to attend a scaled-back edition of Russia's ‌Victory Day parade in Moscow this month, Russian state TV said on Sunday.

Following Viktor Orban's election loss in Hungary last ​month, Fico is now viewed as the ​European Union's most pro-Russian leader.

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Both Hungary and Slovakia ⁠have maintained Russian gas supplies despite EU efforts ​to end the bloc's reliance on Russian energy.

Fico ​also broke ranks with the EU by visiting Moscow in 2024, two years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine , and met ​with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin ​following last year's parade in Red Square, drawing a rebuke ‌from ⁠the Slovakian opposition and Brussels.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will also be in Moscow for the festivities on May 9.

The parade is a highlight of the ​Russian calendar, ​commemorating the ⁠victory of the Soviet Union - of which both Russia and Ukraine were part - ​over Nazi Germany in World War Two, ​a ⁠conflict in which it lost 27 million people.

Moscow will hold a slimmed-down version of the parade this year ⁠without ​the usual large display of ​weaponry, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, citing an increased threat of ​Ukrainian attacks.

Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Joe Bavier

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