Has recently reappeared two weeks later in a high-end Vietnamese hotel.
On December 22, and his office did not provide any information concerning the leaders whereabouts.
The prime minister only communicated with his country through videos posted on social media platforms, while his reported location at the time remained unknown.
Numerous uploaded videos featured a view of only drawn curtains and closed windows, causing viewers to have difficulty figuring out the exact location.
He has now reappeared two weeks later, having been spotted at the upscale Capella Hanoi hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Some also speculated online that he was in Vietnam, according to Dennik, a Slovak daily newspaper.
It further stated that the prime minister was staying in the luxurious Grand Opera Madama Butterfly suite, which features a rooftop hot tub, an outdoor bar, an outdoor dining area, and a private dining room that can accommodate up to 10 guests.
In the video, Fico appears in a room reportedly costing over £4,900 a night.
Despite inquires from Slovak media to the hotel and the Slovak government, the prime minister’s specific activities in the country remain unclear as no official visit has been announced.
Concerns were raised after he was last seen discussing with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid a dispute between Bratislava and Kyiv over discontinuing Russian gas shipments through Ukraine.
Despite the prime minister’s “disappearance” from the public eye, crowds gathered in the Slovakian capital on Friday to protest Prime Minister Fico’s policies, but especially his meeting with Putin.
The demonstration was organised by the ‘Peace for Ukraine’ activist group which asserts that Slovakia is an integral part of the EU and that Fico’s trip to Moscow compromised Slovakia’s stance within the bloc.
Approximately 4,000 protesters carried banners that read, “We are Europe” and “Traitor,” and were heard shouting slogans such as “We will not remain silent,” “We will not abandon Slovakia,” and “Down with Fico,” according to the Polish Press Agency.
It comes after Fico released a video statement on January 3, in which he threatened to halt support for Ukrainian refugees, accusing Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky of ‘sabotaging’ Russian gas supplies, and claimed that this was causing Slovakia an annual financial loss of almost £415 million.
Fico also stated that his Smer party will also consider cutting off electricity supplies to Ukraine and will demand either the resumption of gas transits through the country or compensation for the financial losses incurred by Slovakia due to the halting of Russian gas supply to its territory.
Gas exports via pipelines running through Ukraine were halted on Wednesday after Ukraine refused to renew a pre-war transit agreement with Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom.
The agreement between Kyiv and Moscow had been in effect for decades until it came to an end.
However, Zelenskyy pledged not to extend it, arguing that he would not permit countries to ‘make billions of dollars on our blood.’
As the deadline for the deal drew near, Slovakia, heavily reliant on Russian gas, attempted to persuade Ukraine to reconsider its decision, arguing that a failure to extend the energy agreement would disproportionately impact Slovakia and lead to higher energy costs for the EU.
