"Bratislava is not Moscow, Slovakia is Europe," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Jan. 25, voicing support for protests against Slovakia's government.

The demonstrations, held under the slogan "Slovakia is Europe," swept across 30 cities on Jan. 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.

Organized by the "Peace to Ukraine" initiative and opposition parties, the protests drew significant crowds on Jan. 24, including an estimated 60,000 participants in Bratislava's Freedom Square.

Fico, who has been critical of Western support for Ukraine, accused opposition leader Michal Simecka on Jan. 18 of plotting to overthrow the government. Fico based his accusations on a confidential report from the country’s intelligence service, which he presented in parliament last week.

In a Facebook address, Fico claimed that Simecka was "kissing Zelensky’s ring" and pledging support for Ukraine’s NATO membership.

Simecka, leader of the pro-Western Progressive Slovakia party, recently led a delegation of opposition lawmakers to Kyiv on Jan. 17 to reestablish Slovakia's support for Ukraine.

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