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.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of posing a threat to Europe through his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement issued on Dec. 23. The criticism followed Fico's meeting with Putin in Moscow on Dec.