Slovakia's defense minister informs Stoltenberg of halt to arms shipments to Ukraine

Defence Minister of Slovakia Robert Kalinak informed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday about the government's decision to terminate military aid to Ukraine from stockpiles.

This is reported by TASR, according to Ukrinform.

"Despite this, Slovakia is offering a sufficiently wide range of humanitarian, civilian and technical non-lethal assistance. Our foreign partners fully respect the decision of the new government," said the minister

According to Slovakia’s ministry, the new government aims to bolster the capacities and capabilities of the armed forces in performing tasks aimed at preserving the security of people and the state. Meanwhile, the modernization process will also be aimed at minimizing the risk of endangering the lives of soldiers.

Kalinak stressed that Slovakia is a responsible partner ready to build capabilities at both individual and collective levels.

"Both parties confirmed during the bilateral meeting that the Alliance and the Slovak Republic will jointly continue to enhance the readiness, deployability and interoperability of the armed forces," said the ministry.

As reported by Ukrinform, on October 26, new Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico announced that his government would stop providing military aid to Ukraine. This was one of his main campaign promises.

At the same time, he said that the government would not block the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine from private manufacturers.

Last week, the Slovak government rejected the fourteenth military aid package to Ukraine, worth EUR 40.3 million.

Photo: АРА