Slovakia announces military support package for Ukraine
The Slovak government has announced a new military support package for Ukraine for the first time since Robert Fico returned to power.
Source: Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák at the International Defence Industry Forum in Kyiv, quoted by Interfax-Ukraine, European Pravda reports
Details: Kaliňák said that he was very pleased to announce that, together with Ukraine's Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal, they had just signed a memorandum on the 14th support package, under which Slovakia will provide engineering and mine clearance assistance to Ukraine.
He also noted that he will discuss possible projects for expanding defence cooperation during the talks in Kyiv.
Kaliňák also said that during a recent meeting between Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, defence cooperation was identified as one of the key topics for the upcoming intergovernmental meeting.
Background:
- At the beginning of the full-scale war, the Slovak government was one of the first in Europe to provide Ukraine with significant military assistance, including S-300 air defence systems and Soviet fighter jets.
- After Robert Fico returned to power, direct military aid to Ukraine ceased, and investigations were launched into the officials who had made these decisions.
- Meanwhile, defence cooperation did not stop. Fico believes that it would be hypocritical to prohibit Slovak companies from selling weapons to Ukraine.
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