EU nation’s Premiers accuse Kiev of anti-government demonstrations

(MENAFN) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has claimed that Ukrainians played a significant role in the anti-government protests that recently swept across Slovakia. His comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly supported the demonstrations on social media.

The protests, which took place in more than 20 cities on Friday, were attended by up to 100,000 people, with around 60,000 gathering in the capital, Bratislava. The demonstrators demanded that the Slovak government distance itself from Russia and strengthen ties with the EU and NATO. Many protesters carried Ukrainian flags and anti-Russia slogans, with some referencing the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine.

Fico, speaking to national media, estimated that one-third of the protesters were Ukrainians opposed to the Slovak government. He accused protest organizers of spreading misleading claims, including the idea that Slovakia might leave the EU. He also dismissed calls for his resignation, asserting that his experienced government would not be toppled by external activists.

Since taking office, Fico's government has reversed Slovakia’s policy on sending weapons to Ukraine and has advocated for a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing conflict. Additionally, he has threatened to halt electricity supplies to Ukraine unless the country resumes the transit of Russian natural gas. Fico also linked recent cyberattacks on Slovak state agencies to foreign groups involved in Ukraine's 2014 pro-Western coup.

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