Austrian President to Visit Slovakia for Talks on Energy, Ukraine and Middle East

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen will visit Slovakia for high-level discussions with Slovak leadership on energy security, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and developments in the Middle East. Van der Bellen is scheduled to meet with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, as well as Prime Minister Robert Fico and Parliament Speaker Peter Žiga during his visit. The meeting comes as both Austria and Slovakia, as neighboring EU member states, coordinate their positions on key regional security issues, particularly regarding energy supplies amid the war in Ukraine and broader geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Slovakia has maintained complex positions on both conflicts, with the current government led by Fico's Smer-SD party taking a more cautious stance on military aid to Ukraine while emphasizing diplomatic solutions.