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Kyiv pushes back at Fico over armed forces remarks
Summary
A look back at a diplomatic exchange between Ukraine and Slovakia that unfolded as Kyiv's cabinet was being reshaped.
What did Kyiv make of the Slovak prime minister's comments on its army? On 9 September 2024, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed "disappointment" over assertions by Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico that Kyiv should remove "fascist elements" from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The ministry noted that the rhetoric resembled Russian allegations of present-day neo-Nazism in Ukraine's Azov Brigade. The exchange added a new strain to Slovakia–Ukraine relations.
A cabinet in flux
The diplomatic spat came days after a significant shake-up in Kyiv. On 3 September 2024, five Ukrainian ministers resigned, among them Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna. Their departures left more than one-third of the cabinet vacant.
On 4 September 2024, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also stepped down, as part of the same cabinet reshuffle. His resignation meant the ministry that issued the response to Fico was in a period of change at the top.
Together, the events of early September 2024 showed Ukraine managing both a rebuilt government and a dispute with a neighbouring EU state over how its military was characterised.
