Protesters accuses PM Fico of dragging Slovakia to Russia in Ukraine gas dispute

Thousands of protesters in the Slovak capital held banners and chanted slogans on Friday accusing Prime Minister Robert Fico of dragging the country towards Russia after he met President Vladimir Putin last month amid a gas dispute with Ukraine.

Slovakia has argued with Ukraine over its decision to halt the transit of Russia's gas through its territory from Jan. 1, seeking to cut Moscow off from the revenue stream.

Slovakia had sought to keep the gas transit, and Fico met Putin in Moscow on Dec. 22 after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected extending any gas flows.

His trip to Moscow was only the third by an EU government head since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

"Slovakia is Europe, we are not Russia," one of the organisers told the crowd waving Slovak and EU flags, holding signs saying "Slovakia stands with Ukraine", and chanting "Enough of Russia!" and "Shame!".

Organisers estimated 15,000 people protested in Bratislava, filling a central square.

Fico has said the halt of gas through Ukraine will cost Slovakia around 1.5 billion euros in lost fees for transiting flows further on to Europe and due to higher gas prices.

He 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.

"I am concerned that our government is directing us towards Russia and ... is not on the side of citizens," 45-year-old marketing professional Barbara Fandelova said.

Fico has shifted the foreign policy of Slovakia, an EU and NATO member, since taking power in 2023 by boosting relations with Russia and refusing to provide military aid to Ukraine.

On Friday, he said Putin had promised that Russia's Gazprom would find alternative ways to deliver gas to Slovakia.

Around 13.5 billion cubic metres of gas flowed through Ukraine last year, including around 3 bcm for Slovak consumption.

The EU has said there was no need to extend the transit contract through Ukraine and that countries receiving Russian gas had access to alternative supplies.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Friday the problem lay with Russia and the unwillingness of "certain politicians" to cut their dependence on Moscow.