Robert Fico was the only EU state leader to defy Brussels' pressure and visit Moscow on Victory Day

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin after attending the Victory Day parade on Red Square and other festivities marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

During Kremlin talks on Friday evening, Fico criticized what he described as a new "Iron Curtain" being imposed by Western nations, calling the obstacles he faced en route to Moscow due to airspace restrictions by some EU member states "a childish joke."

"There is a huge desire to build a new Iron Curtain in various forms," Fico said, according to a Kremlin transcript. "We will do everything to ensure that we can shake hands through this curtain."

Amid systematic desecration and destruction of World War II memorials in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe, Fico reaffirmed Slovakia's commitment to preserving Soviet memorials - and proposed erecting a monument to Marshal Ivan Konev, a Soviet commander involved in the liberation of Czechoslovakia during the war.

Putin welcomed Fico's efforts to restore "long-standing ties between Russia and Slovakia that were effectively frozen" by the previous government in Bratislava, "which strictly followed the collective line of the West."

The Russian president noted that those in the EU who tried to prevent Fico from attending the event in Moscow "have once again been convinced that it is better not to do this... You achieve your goals no matter what."

Fico also expressed skepticism about EU sanctions on Russia, arguing they harm the European Union more than Moscow. He emphasized Slovakia's interest in maintaining pragmatic relations with Russia, particularly in the energy sector. He noted that Slovakia's nuclear power plants are not compatible with fuel from Western suppliers and warned that halting Russian gas and oil imports could destabilize the country's energy infrastructure.

Fico's visit drew condemnation from Brussels, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen describing his attendance as "regrettable." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it "unthinkable" for an EU leader to stand alongside Putin at commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

Fico maintained that his presence in Moscow was a gesture of respect for the Soviet soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defeat fascism. "For me, it was a moral obligation to come here and commemorate," he said.

READ MORE: Vucic and Fico are heroes - Kremlin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as heroes for defying EU pressure. "These days... it is simply an act of heroism - showing one's sovereign will to pay tribute to the memory of Victory Day, despite blatant, frenzied pressure," Peskov said.