Wednesday, the 9th of September, Beijing, China. World War II. parade, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in the war, is taking place in China’s capital. And as some media already pointed out, a meetup of dictators from the whole world, as many undemocratic leaders came to Beijing.
During the parade, China uncovered new military equipment among which also nuclear-capable missiles or drones that can work both in the air and underwater. The outcome of the parade was to establish China as a global power, capable of competing with the United States.
Among the attendees were Russian president Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. or Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The meeting of the President of China with the leaders of Russia, Iran, and North Korea in Beijing represents a “direct challenge to the international order,” said the EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas, during a press conference as reported by the European Newsroom.
Only two western leaders came, from the EU only the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and from Serbia, president Aleksandar Vučić. Both of them also visited Moscow in May, for World War II. military parade, also back then as the only European leaders.
Robert Fico also met and spoke to Putin first officially, and then according to his words also privately for an hour, discussing mainly the war in Ukraine. At the official meeting Fico talked about his intention to standardize relations between the two countries and broaden cooperation.
“President V. Putin informed me about the progress of the negotiations with US President D. Trump in Alaska and the prospects for ending this military conflict. I drew several conclusions and messages from the important conversation, which I intend to convey to Ukrainian President V. Zelensky on Friday,” Fico wrote in his Facebook post.
“He wants to send a signal that he is the one who meets with leaders without any value classification. Recently, Slovakia has been fundamentally neglecting the Western side in Fico’s vision of foreign policy on all four sides of the world. So far, I have not recorded a bilateral meeting with either the British Prime Minister, the German Chancellor, or the French President,” said diplomat and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs Miroslav Wlachovský for a Slovak news portal tvnoviny.sk.
Fico’s recent meetings with Putin
This is the third time Fico spoke to Putin since December 2024. The first of this series of visits took place right before Christmas, when he discussed the future of Russian gas supply to Slovakia, which was set to expire at the end of the year. He also attended the May World War II. parade in Moscow, along with other Slovak politicians, and also spoke to Putin. His journey back then was slowed down by the Baltic countries’ decision to close their airspace for his journey to Moscow.
Fico’s meeting with Zelensky
On Friday, following the parade, Robert Fico had his first official meeting with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Until now, the two met only at the meeting of the European council, where Zelensky was also invited. They discussed energy, since already before the meeting, Fico criticized the Ukrainian airstrikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline which supplies Slovakia and Hungary as the last two EU countries dependent on Russian fossil fuels. They also discussed Ukraine’s accession to EU, and despite Fico’s pro-Russian appearances, he reasserted his support for the country’s EU membership. However one problem remains, neither the Slovak prime minister nor president denounce the Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
Vučić and his friends
Fico also spoke to Aleksandar Vučić, who considered their meeting cordial and friendly. Vučić would like to strengthen collaboration between the two countries, especially in terms of political and economic cooperation. He was also cordial towards Putin, and thanked him for hospitality during the May visit. “Cooperation at the highest level with Russia in all areas is very important for Serbia, and I hope that we will have the opportunity not only to preserve but also to improve some aspects of cooperation,” said Vučić according to Balkan Insight. As much as Vučić wants good relations with Russia and China, he claims that Serbia remains committed to joining the EU, despite being in the candidate position for 13 years.
What’s next for Fico’s politics?
The Slovak initiative Peace for Ukraine scheduled a protest on Sep 12, 2025 in Bratislava, to show discontent with Fico’s foreign policy. This NGO has been organizing protests actively, since his visit in Moscow in December 2024. The initiative sent a letter to Zelensky, signed by nearly 26,000 people, saying that Fico does not represent Slovakia, which “stands firmly on the side of Ukraine.”
“We are deeply concerned to see Prime Minister Fico repeatedly bowing to the mass murderer Vladimir Putin and flattering other dictators. As we write this letter, he is sitting in China, where instead of clearly condemning Russian aggression, he is criticizing the West for helping Ukraine and praising Beijing’s “peace initiatives.” At the same time, Putin called the war a “Western-backed coup” in the same forum. Moreover, Fico is openly calling for the restoration of “traditional cooperation with Russia in energy” – as if the aggression and the killing of civilians were just insignificant details,” says an excerpt from the letter.
Meanwhile, other European countries are having meetings about security guarantees for Ukraine, along with the United States. This will have to happen along with agreements on energy security with countries like Slovakia and Hungary. While Fico’s meeting with Zelensky welcomed even by the Slovak opposition, without a clear vision the foreign policy, Slovakia will remain an unreliable partner not only for Ukraine, but also other neighbors and other EU Member States.