Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday criticised what he said was Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's lack of desire to end his country's dependency on Russian natural resources as a "big security issue" for Europe and Slovakia.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will travel to Moscow next week to hold talks on gas supplies with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Dec. 20.

Despite the relatively high casualty rate, Zelensky added that North Korea might send even more resources to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s armies.

Russia said on Monday that the situation with European countries that buy its gas through a transit deal via Ukraine is very complicated and needs more attention, after talks between President Vladimir Putin and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Russian shelling of Donetsk region in southeastern Ukraine killed six civilains and injured five others. Russian troops executed four Ukrainian prisoners of war in the region’s frontline Volnovakha district on Dec.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday blasted Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico over his reluctance to end his country's dependency on Russian gas, calling it a "big security issue" for Europe and saying Fico declined compensation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin on Sunday with Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin on Sunday with Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico (shown here in Brussels in February 2024), in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

BRATISLAVA - Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico warned of a gas crisis on Dec ... said it would not continue a gas transit deal with Russia as the two countries are at war.

If Russian natural gas stops transiting from Ukraine to the EU, European countries including Croatia will feel the impact and maybe a new energy