Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is the only EU leader attending Russia’s May 9 military parade, defying airspace bans and EU pressure to stay away.
Robert Fico has charted an unusual flight path to Moscow. After Baltic states shut their airspace to block his trip, the Slovak prime minister rerouted through Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea and Georgia to reach Russia on Thursday evening.
Fico will attend Friday’s Victory Day parade on Red Square—making him the only EU leader standing alongside foreign dignitaries such as China’s Xi Jinping.
The move comes despite vocal calls from EU officials to avoid legitimising Russia’s military celebrations. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all denied airspace use for the trip, forcing Slovakia’s government plane into a complex detour.
“This is exceptionally complicating our schedule,” Fico said on Facebook, adding that Estonia blocked flyover rights despite Slovakia holding year-round clearance.
The prime minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings and attend a wreath-laying ceremony in Moscow. His participation underscores a widening rift between Bratislava and Brussels.
Fico, who returned to power in 2023, has drawn criticism for shifting Slovakia’s foreign policy closer to Moscow. The country remains reliant on Russian gas, and Fico has resisted some EU positions on the war and sanctions.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić was also reportedly blocked from flying through Lithuanian airspace to attend the parade. Other EU nations, including France and Germany, are abstaining from the event altogether.
Fico’s attendance sends a message—one that runs against the tide of European diplomacy.
German police say at least 17 people were injured in a knife attack at Hamburg’s main train station on Friday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the arrest of those responsible for the failed launch of the country’s second naval destroyer, calling the incident an “unpardonable criminal act” and demanding accountability amid skepticism over the extent of damage to the warship.
A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol international students, following a lawsuit that marks a major escalation in tensions between the White House and the Ivy League institution.
Russia and Ukraine have carried out a major prisoner exchange, each returning 270 military personnel and 120 civilians to the other side, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Trump administration has granted Syria a temporary waiver from key U.S. sanctions and loosened business restrictions, marking the first formal step in a broader plan to dismantle decades-old penalties.
U.S. federal authorities have charged the alleged leader of an Eastern European neo-Nazi group with plotting acts of domestic terrorism, following an investigation that uncovered plans targeting Jewish and minority communities.
Iran and the United States ended their fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome with some progress but no resolution, according to the mediator from Oman.
Despite warnings from FEMA that offering aid to migrants might violate smuggling laws, shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border continue to receive individuals released by ICE, creating confusion and concern among nonprofits.
Russia is preparing to present Ukraine with a draft peace proposal once a recent prisoner swap concludes, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Friday, signaling a potential step forward in peace efforts.
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
Anton Kobyakov, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum that the USSR’s dissolution was legally invalid and that the Soviet Union still exists under constitutional law, framing the Ukraine war as an “internal process.”
In a region long defined by conflict and complex history, AnewZ set out to hear the voices that matter most- those of the people.
Two staff members from the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C.- Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were shot and killed on Wednesday night by a lone gunman as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, close to the White House.
The Trump administration has granted Syria a temporary waiver from key U.S. sanctions and loosened business restrictions, marking the first formal step in a broader plan to dismantle decades-old penalties.
U.S. federal authorities have charged the alleged leader of an Eastern European neo-Nazi group with plotting acts of domestic terrorism, following an investigation that uncovered plans targeting Jewish and minority communities.
Iran and the United States ended their fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome with some progress but no resolution, according to the mediator from Oman.
Russia is preparing to present Ukraine with a draft peace proposal once a recent prisoner swap concludes, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Friday, signaling a potential step forward in peace efforts.
Boeing has struck a deal with the U.S. Justice Department to avoid criminal charges over the 737 Max tragedies, agreeing to pay over $1.1 billion in penalties, victim support, and safety reforms.
The Trump administration has granted Syria a temporary waiver from key U.S. sanctions and loosened business restrictions, marking the first formal step in a broader plan to dismantle decades-old penalties.
U.S. federal authorities have charged the alleged leader of an Eastern European neo-Nazi group with plotting acts of domestic terrorism, following an investigation that uncovered plans targeting Jewish and minority communities.
Iran and the United States ended their fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome with some progress but no resolution, according to the mediator from Oman.
Despite warnings from FEMA that offering aid to migrants might violate smuggling laws, shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border continue to receive individuals released by ICE, creating confusion and concern among nonprofits.
Russia is preparing to present Ukraine with a draft peace proposal once a recent prisoner swap concludes, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Friday, signaling a potential step forward in peace efforts.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment