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 wanted to supply Ukraine with weapons.
"I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-willed person. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to get through this difficult situation," Putin continued, according to the statement published on the Kremlin website.
Fico was shot and critically injured after a Cabinet meeting in the town of Handlová.