Fico is one of the few European leaders Putin has stayed friendly with since the 2022 eruption of hostilities with Ukraine. Russian TV journalist Pavel Zarubin, a Kremlin insider, posted a short video showing the two leaders smiling and shaking hands.

The visit by Fico, whose country is a NATO and European Union member, had not been previously announced. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told Zarubin that it had been arranged “a few days ago”. Peskov did not give details of the talks but said it could be “presumed” that Russian gas supplies would be discussed. Later Peskov said the meeting had ended and that the two leaders would not make a comment.

Ukraine has said it will not renew a contract allowing the transit of Russian gas through its territory, which expires on December 31. Slovakia and Hungary, which rely on Russian gas, have raised concerns about the prospect of losing supplies.

Fico ended military aid to Ukraine when he became prime minister again in October 2023, and like Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban, he has called for peace talks. He also announced in November that he would go to Moscow in May for ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.