Thousands of Protesters in Slovakia Demonstrate Against PM’s Ties to Russia
Thousands of protesters gathered in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Friday to accuse Prime Minister Robert Fico of dragging the country towards Russia after he met with President Vladimir Putin last month amid a gas dispute with Ukraine. The protesters, waving Slovak and EU flags and holding signs, chanted slogans such as “Slovakia is Europe, we are not Russia” and “Enough of Russia!”
Fico had met with Putin on December 22 after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected extending the transit of Russia’s gas through Ukraine. The dispute has cost Slovakia around 1.5 billion euros in lost fees for transiting gas further on to Europe and due to higher gas prices.
Fico has threatened to retaliate by possibly cutting humanitarian aid to Kyiv, ending support to Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, or stopping emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine as Russia attacks its power grid. Protesters expressed concerns that the government was directing the country towards Russia and not standing on the side of citizens.
Fico has shifted Slovakia’s foreign policy since taking power in 2023, boosting relations with Russia and refusing to provide military aid to Ukraine. Putin had promised that Russia’s Gazprom would find alternative ways to deliver gas to Slovakia.
The EU has said there was no need to extend the transit contract through Ukraine, and countries receiving Russian gas had access to alternative supplies. Ukraine’s foreign ministry stated that the problem lay with Russia and the unwillingness of certain politicians to cut their dependence on Moscow.