Bratislava – Leaders from both the coalition and opposition have agreed to reject the deployment of Slovak soldiers for a potential peace mission in Ukraine, a proposal being considered by several EU countries. This conclusion was shared by Slovak Republic President Peter Pellegrini following a round table discussion convened to address defense and security matters. The President aims to further explore the topic of increasing defense spending with parliamentary party representatives. Another meeting of this format is planned before the NATO summit in The Hague scheduled for June, according to TASR.
“I am pleased that we all concurred on Slovakia’s decision not to send any soldiers to Ukraine, whether for a peacekeeping mission or any other purpose. It is also important that we continue to discuss increasing our defense budget,” the President stated. Future discussions will focus not just on the amount of funding but also on the rate of growth and the specific areas it should cover. He clarified that Slovakia’s refusal to send military personnel to Ukraine is a key reason for its exclusion from certain EU discussions, unlike other member states.
The round table participants recognized the necessity of strengthening the European component of the North Atlantic Alliance. They agreed that should the U.S. decide to withdraw from NATO operations or reduce its involvement, Slovakia must be prepared to participate in a potential new independent European security framework.
However, there is a divergence between the coalition and opposition regarding contributions to aid Ukraine within the EU framework.
“While the coalition is clear in stating that Slovakia should not voluntarily allocate additional financial resources to this aid package, some opposition parties believe Slovakia could increase its support for Ukraine more significantly,” Pellegrini noted.
The President appreciated the constructive nature of the discussions, emphasizing that defense and security are critical issues that require bipartisan dialogue. He justified the meeting’s purpose as a way to present a unified position at NATO discussions, noting that some decisions made will have implications across multiple electoral cycles. Political parties represented included Smer-SD, Hlas-SD, SNS, PS, KDH, and SaS. Additionally, the meeting included Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD) and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic Daniel Zmeko. (March 26).
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