
Tens of thousands protest across Slovakia against Fico's stance on Russia
The latest wave of rallies was sparked by Fico's recent trip to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a rare visit to the Kremlin by an EU leader since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Slovakia to express their opposition to the policies of Prime Minister Robert Rico, whom they accuse of being pro-Russian.
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The latest wave of anti-government rallies was sparked by Fico's trip to Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a rare visit to the Kremlin by a European Union leader since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"Slovakia belongs to Europe, we want to belong to Europe in terms of values. We do not belong to Russia, in fact we do not want to cooperate with Russia in any way, and this is our position, which we must express politely but responsibly," said Marian Kulich, managing director of the Peace for Ukraine organization, speaking at a rally in the capital Bratislava.
Fico's recent remarks that there is a possibility of changing Slovakia's foreign policy orientation and leaving the European Union and NATO were among other recent steps by the head of the Slovak government that have sparked anger among protesters.

Friday's protests took place in 28 locations, more than double the number two weeks ago, amid heightened tensions after Fico accused organizers and the opposition earlier this week of being in contact with an unspecified group of foreigners he says are working to engineer a coup in Slovakia.
Fico linked his accusations to a secret report by the country's spy service (SIS) that he presented to parliament on Tuesday, reports Euronews.