The Slovak parliament has approved the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico and its political program, which provides for the suspension of military aid to Ukraine from army resources.
Fico, who announced before September’s elections that if he won, “not a single missile” would reach Ukraine from Slovakia, later softened his position, explaining that the election promise only covered supplies from the Slovak army’s arsenal.
Since the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion, Slovakia has supplied Ukraine with S-300 air defense systems, Mi-17 helicopters, MiG-29 fighter jets, Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers, MLRS Grad ammunition and fuel. In total, Bratislava provided Kiev with 13 military aid packages worth 671 million euros.
On November 8, the 14th tranche of 40.3 million euros, drawn up by the previous management of the Ministry of Defense, was blocked. The package contained 4 million 7.62mm bullets; 5,172 ammunition units for 125 mm guns; 140 missiles for the Kub anti-aircraft system; 8 mortars and 1200 mines.
Slovakia ends military aid to Ukraine. Fico appeals to the EU
Fico called on the European Union to abandon military support for Kiev and “transform from an arms supplier into a peacemaker.” The Slovak Prime Minister also opposed the EU providing aid to Ukraine amounting to 50 billion euros in the period 2024-2027, citing corruption problems in the country.
At the same time, the government in Bratislava does not intend to interfere with the supply of weapons and ammunition from private producers. This was also confirmed by Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar. – All commercial issues related to arms contracts are a matter for individual companies – he said.
In the analysis of the Center for Oriental Studies, dedicated to Robert Fico, it is written that “the coming weeks will be the first test that will show whether this experienced politician, who in the three previous periods of his premiership was most often pragmatic, border will cross the political Rubicon and will move closer in its policies to the position of Hungary, which is isolated in the EU and NATO.”
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
