Fico’s comments, delivered while visiting a Holocaust museum in western Slovakia, struck a sensitive nerve in Ukraine, given that the Kremlin has sought to justify its 2022 invasion by saying it wants to “de-Nazify” the country.
Propagating Russia’s line, Fico said: “We all talk about fascism, Nazism, and yet we tacitly tolerate the fact that there are units running around Ukraine which have a very clear designation, which are linked to movements that we now consider dangerous and forbidden.”
Ukraine was quick to respond and express its dissatisfaction with the Slovakian prime minister's remarks.
“There is disappointment in Kyiv regarding the statement made by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico towards Ukrainian soldiers, which contradicts the current level of trust and cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
“Ukrainian soldiers are defending their families, homes, and country, as well as the entire Europe and the free world, from Russian invaders marked with the letter ‘Z’—a symbol of modern Russia's fascist aesthetics. Countering Russian aggression, for Ukrainians, adds to the nation's history of resistance against totalitarian regimes over the last century,” the statement added.
Fico’s remarks could burnish his reputation, in the eyes of his critics, for being supportive of Russia’s war narrative.
After assuming office in October last year, the Slovakian prime minister said that he would end arms supplies to Ukraine and has said that Kyiv must cede land to Russia if it wants peace.
Fico’s alignment with Kremlin rhetoric as a leader within NATO complicates Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s repeated calls for the alliance to provide long-range weapons to Kyiv and approve their use against Russian targets.
Since the war began, Ukraine has been pursuing membership in both the European Union and NATO, but Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have resisted these moves.
