Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has abandoned plans to join the hard-right Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament and is considering forming a new alliance with left-leaning parties focused on peace.His party Smer was expelled from the Party of Socialists and Democrats, and his aide Monika Benova said he might create a coalition by 2026 centered around "friends of peace."Tens of thousands protested across Slovakia for increased support for Ukraine, opposing Fico's government and austerity measures while drawing parallels to the 1989 Velvet Revolution.