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Meanwhile, the prime minister believes that all these protests are being paid for by someone.
Thousands of people rallied in Bratislava and other Slovak cities on Friday, February 21, calling for Prime Minister Robert Fico to resign. People protested against a foreign policy that has brought the country closer to Russia, Reuters reports.
Protests have been taking place every week since early January, sparked by Fico's December meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which outraged Slovaks.
“Slovakia is Europe,” chanted crowds in Bratislava, along with shouts of “Enough with Fico!”
The Dennik N news website, citing a security expert, reported that up to 12 people protested in the capital, down significantly from more than 000 two weeks ago. Rallies were also held in more than 40 other cities.
Friday's rallies also marked the seventh anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak, whose killing sparked weeks of mass protests against corruption and, in particular, led to Fico's resignation as prime minister, which he was at the time.
Fico has previously cut off state military aid to Ukraine and is in a dispute with Kyiv over the suspension of Russian gas transit. He defends his foreign policy, saying it covers all areas.
Fico is waging a war of words against the pro-Western liberal opposition, NGOs, and the media, accusing them of conspiring against Slovakia and himself personally.
This month, he congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump's government efficiency adviser, Elon Musk, for seeking to eliminate a major U.S. aid agency, saying its funds were being used to "deform the political system" in Slovakia.
As we will recall, Robert Fico earlier lashed out at Volodymyr Zelensky for his refusal to extend the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine in 2025. The Slovak prime minister has held a series of diplomatic talks in Moscow and Brussels in an attempt to preserve Russian gas supplies to the country. But after his attempt to continue paying the Kremlin for fuel failed – and the gas pipelines were shut down until the end of 2024 – his increasingly hysterical warnings about an energy crisis in Central Europe seem empty words, although Fico threatens "tough reciprocal measures". At the same time, according to the Slovak prime minister, his government is "not interested in escalating tensions".
