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.

Thousands of Slovaks have taken to the streets as protests against the pro-Russia policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico spread from Slovakia's capital to towns and cities across the country and abroad.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has criticized Ukraine as an unreliable partner and expressed frustration with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s approach to securing international support. Speaking at a parliamentary committee meeting on Friday, Fico accused Zelenskyy of “begging and blackmailing” European countries for financial aid.