Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in China in the upcoming days, as announced by the Kremlin on Sunday. This meeting is anticipated to escalate tensions between Bratislava and Brussels.

Fico stands out as one of the few leaders in the European Union who has consistently engaged with Putin since the onset of Russia’s extensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Kremlin on foreign policy, informed journalists that the meeting between the two leaders is “scheduled,” although he did not reveal specifics regarding their discussion topics or the exact timing.

Fico is heading to Beijing for a parade on Wednesday that commemorates the conclusion of the Asian front of World War II.

Meanwhile, Putin is attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, northern China, and is expected to sit alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Beijing festivities.

Fico has frustrated European officials by openly criticizing the EU’s backing of Ukraine and resisting initiatives aimed at reducing energy imports from Russia, from which Slovakia is significantly dependent.

In May, he defied Brussels by attending Putin’s Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square.