Kremlin condemns shooting of Fico, wishes him a speedy recovery

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Thursday condemned the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and wished him a speedy recovery after he was shot when leaving a government meeting.

"Naturally, we condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia. "We consider it absolutely unacceptable - this is really a great tragedy."

"We hope that Mr Fico will be able to pull through and recover as soon as possible. We wish him a speedy recovery," Peskov said.

As he prepared for a visit to China, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday made the rare move of sending a telegram to Slovak President Zuzana Caputova over the shooting.

"I was indignant to learn about the attempt on the life of the Chairman of the Government of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico. There can be no justification for this monstrous crime," Putin said.

"I know Robert Fico as a courageous and strong-minded man. I very much hope that these qualities will help him to survive this difficult situation," Putin said.

The shooting in the central Slovak town of Handlova, which Slovak media said was carried out by a 71-year-old man, stunned the small central European nation and drew international condemnation.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)