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.

In the Slovak capital, Bratislava, thousands of people protested on Friday against the policies of Prime Minister Robert Fico, accusing him of dragging the country to Russia. — Ukrinform.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico said he wasn’t ruling out the resumption of gas through Ukraine after a deal between Kyiv and Moscow expired at the beginning of this year.

By Albin Sybera Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico has stepped up his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, saying that Slovakia could halt all its humanitarian aid for Ukraine and Ukrainians in Slovakia,

Slovakia is weighing retaliation against Ukraine including withholding aid if a solution is not found to Kyiv's decision to shut off Russian gas, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday after talks with EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen.

The ending of Ukraine’s long-standing role as transit route for Russian gas to Europe continues to exacerbate already existing tensions within Europe as the NATO proxy war heads into its third year

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expanded his threats against Ukraine over Kyiv's suspension of Russian natural gas transit. Source: Teraz.sk, citing Fico's words in Brussels after talks with European Commission officials on 9 January,

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Slovakia that Russia's Gazprom would find alternative ways to deliver contracted gas to Slovakia after the end of transit through Ukraine, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday.

Austria has insisted it is well prepared for the stoppage, but Slovakia has threatened to cut electricity supplies to neighboring Ukraine.

Fico asserts that Bratislava could "stop any humanitarian aid to Ukraine, decide on significant reduction or complete cancellation of benefits for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, or stop electricity supplies in emergency situations.

Fico said that Slovakia could halt its humanitarian aid to Ukraine, cut or cancel social benefits for Ukrainian refugees, and cease emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine. He also suggested using veto power over EU decisions as leverage against Kyiv.