BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - 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.

The Nato alliance has been rocked by a warning from Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico who threatened to retaliate against Ukraine if a solution is not found to Kyiv's decision to shut off Russian

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.

Slovakia is weighing measures against Ukraine including withholding aid if a solution is not found to halted Russian gas transit through the country, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday after talks with EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen.

Slovakia has railed against the end of a gas transit agreement that allowed Russian pipeline gas to flow via Ukraine into Europe

A meeting between Slovak, Ukrainian and European Commission officials over gas supplies planned for Tuesday has been cancelled because Kyiv will not participate, Slovakia said on Monday.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said Russia will if necessary deliver gas to cover the country’s domestic consumption this year, even as he seeks to restore fuel flows via Ukraine.

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.