Slovakian Prime Minister Rejects Calls to Resign for "Pro-Russian Reasons"

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on January 25 rejected calls for his resignation from protest organizers.

Slovakian Prime Minister Fico meets with Russian President Putin in Moscow on December 22, 2024. (Source: Barrons.com)

He claimed that the mass protests, which were supposed to support a pro-European line, were organized based on lies and had foreign elements involved.

The statement was made by Prime Minister Fico one day after tens of thousands of people gathered to protest in the capital Bratislava and several other cities of Slovakia.

Activists called for the protests to assert a pro-European stance after Prime Minister Fico met Russian President Vladimir Putin in December 2024.

Protesters and the opposition have previously accused Slovakia's head of government of using secret services and distracting attention from the country's problems by repeatedly questioning protesters and accusing them of plotting a coup.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Fico said his government has no plans to take the country out of the European Union (EU).

Mr Fico said a group of foreigners were involved in organizing the protests. Therefore, Slovakian intelligence agencies plan to draw up a list of these people for deportation.

Earlier, tens of thousands of Slovaks gathered in squares and streets across the country to protest against the foreign policy shift of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Protests on January 24 took place in 28 locations, double the number from two weeks ago amid rising tensions.

In a context where Mr. Fico's views on Russia are very different from the mainstream European view, the Slovak Prime Minister has so far ended Slovakia's military aid to Ukraine, criticized the EU's sanctions against Russia and declared that he would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.

Previously, on December 22, Prime Minister Fico visited Russia and held talks with President Putin to discuss the gas issue and the Russia-Ukraine conflict after Kiev decided to stop extending the gas transit agreement from the beginning of 2025.

Prime Minister Fico also threatened to take strong countermeasures against Ukraine for the above decision, saying that Ukraine's decision not only weakens the EU economy but also makes the European social situation unstable when people have to pay many times higher energy bills.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thu-tuong-slovakia-bac-loi-keu-goi-tu-chuc-vi-ly-do-than-tong-thong-nga-302330.html