Slovak prime minister to skip military parade on Moscow trip

   BRATISLAVA (Reuters) --- Slovakia's prime minister said on Monday he would attend World War Two events in Russia that are being boycotted by many EU countries over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis, but would skip a military parade.

   Robert Fico's announcement underlined the delicate diplomatic balance facing countries in the region between standing with European allies and not offending Russia, a strong trade partner and for several, their former Soviet ruler.

   Fico did not say why he had made the decision, but it echoed a statement earlier this month from the president of neighbouring Czech Republic.

   U.S. ambassador to Prague Andrew Schapiro had said it would be "awkward" and "unfortunate" for Czech President Milos Zeman to attend the parade at a time when Russian troops were destabilizing a neighbour.

   Zeman's spokesman later said the president had made a "sovereign and independent" decision to visit Moscow on May 9 to commemorate World War Two victims but to skip the parade.

   Moscow denies Western accusations that it provides rebels in eastern Ukraine with money, arms and troops.

   Fico said he would meet Zeman during the trip on May 9 and the two would lay a wreath to honor the war dead during events marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

   The territories of the Czech Republic and Slovakia were occupied in 1968 by Soviet and Warsaw pact troops sent to crush a movement calling for liberal reforms in then-communist Czechoslovakia.