Opposition of Slovakia staged a rally in capital city Bratislava against the backdrop of Prime Minister Robert Fico's visit to Moscow and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"In the capital of the Slovak Republic, hundreds of people gathered in front of the government building on Monday to protest against the visit of Prime Minister Fico,” Markiza TV channel said.
The protest act was organised by supporters of Ukraine, who accused the head of the Slovak government of promoting Russia's influence.
Liberal opposition parties threatened to put forward a vote of no confidence in Fico's government. In their opinion, the prime minister is using the topic of gas supplies, which cannot be used as a pretext for normalizing relations with Moscow.
Earlier, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin and Fico discussed energy issues and bilateral relations between the states. The leaders of the two countries also discussed the Ukraine conflict. Putin conveyed his vision of the situation to the head of the Slovak government, Peskov noted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Slovakia's special services to investigate Prime Minister Robert Fico's ties with Russia.
"This should be a matter of concern for Slovakia's law enforcement agencies and special services," Zelensky wrote on X adding that Moscow gives Fico significant discounts that Slovakia has to pay for.
Earlier, Robert Fico said that his visit to Moscow and meeting with Putin came in response to Volodymyr Zelensky's remark about his opposition to gas transit through Ukraine. The Russian leader confirmed his readiness to continue supplying gas to the West, although Putin did not consider that feasible next year, the Slovak Prime Minister said.
The transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine will cease on January 1, 2025. The countries of Eastern Europe, including Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, etc., want the supplies to resume.
With his visit to Moscow, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is trying to resolve the issue of gas supplies to Slovakia. The country depends on Russian energy almost entirely, and the question of natural gas supplies remains critical for Slovakia.
Slovakia may lose both Russian gas supplies through Ukraine and transit money for supplies to Austria as Brussels may punish Fico for his Moscow handshake with Putin. Slovakia could thus be forced to buy more expensive LNG through Italy or Croatia, since all pipeline suppliers have now increased their supplies to the maximum. Prices on natural gas in Europe will rise as soon as gas transit through Ukraine stops.