Russian President Vladimir Putin called the assassination attempt on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico “a despicable crime,” in a message from the Russian leader to his Slovakian counterpart Zuzana Čaputová. Political opponents repeatedly accuse Fico of taking “Russia-friendly” positions amid Putin’s war against Ukraine. Relations between Slovakia, an EU and NATO member state, and its neighbour Ukraine cooled noticeably when the left-wing nationalist Fico won the parliamentary elections in autumn and returned to power. During the election campaign, Fico had announced that he no longer wante…