24. Around 100,000 people nationwide chanted slogans like "Enough of Fico" and "We are Europe," voicing opposition to Prime Minister Robert Fico's policies and pro-Russian stance, Slovak media Aktuality reported. The protests were also sparked by Fico's visit to Moscow in late December, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin—a rare trip to the Kremlin by a European Union leader since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.Fico reportedly criticized Zelensky for supporting protests against Slovakia's government. According to Aktuality, Fico dismissed Zelensky’s comment on X as "laughable" and called it "an inappropriate interference in the internal affairs of the Slovak Republic." He added that he currently has no plans to meet with Zelensky.Commenting on the protests, Fico accused the organizers of misleading participants and claimed that a third of those attending the demonstrations were allegedly Ukrainians.The Kyiv Independent can't immediately verify this information.