Thousands of people protested Prime Minister Robert Fico’s visit to Moscow last month and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a demonstration titled “Slovakia is Europe,” which was organized by the civil society organization Peace for Ukraine, at Freedom Square in the capital Bratislava in Slovakia.
The organizers claimed that Prime Minister Fico was trying to bring Slovakia, a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO, under the influence of Russia and stated that they demanded a free and democratic Slovakia. Meanwhile, 15,000 people at the demonstration chanted slogans such as “Fico is a traitor,” “Slovakia is Europe,” and “Russia has had enough,” according to the Slovakian press.
Protests against Fico were also held in cities such as Kosice, Banska Bystrica, Poprad and Zilina.
Fico, who criticized Ukraine’s decision to stop the flow of Russian gas through their territory on the grounds that it would cause high costs for the EU, had discussed the issue of Slovakia’s gas supply with Putin on December 22. He announced today that Russian President Putin had promised to find alternative routes to deliver natural gas to Slovakia.
TR