In Bratislava, the visit was characterized as a working trip, with the delegation led by Deputy Speaker of the Slovak National Council, Andrej Danko.
Danko also expressed frustration that their plane had to circumvent Polish airspace due to Warsaw's ban on their flight over the country, resulting in the Slovak representatives arranging a route over the Czech Republic and Germany.
"I do not understand Poland's position, but I accept it as a reality," Danko was quoted by the agency.
The Slovak delegation representatives explained that they wish to observe life in Russia, where "people also live," and noted that "Germans, French, and Americans are doing business there," aiming to determine whether Russian "Gazprom" can supply gas to Slovakia amidst the cessation of transit through Ukraine, as reported by TASR.
The delegation plans to remain in the aggressor country until January 15.
Later, the Russian agency ТАСС reported the arrival of the plane with the Slovak delegation at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. It is expected that the politicians from Bratislava will meet, among others, with the Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Volodin, and the Chairwoman of the Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko.
Slovakia is one of the largest remaining buyers of Russian gas in the EU.