First EU country announces suspension of military aid to Ukraine
(Baonghean.vn) - New Prime Minister of Slovakia - Mr. Robert Fico, announced on October 26 that the government of this country will stop all military aid to Ukraine. This is the first European country to make such a statement regarding the issue of military aid to Ukraine.
During a meeting with the country's parliamentarians, Prime Minister Fico stated: "We support humanitarian and civilian assistance to Ukraine - this will be the official policy of the government cabinet. We will no longer supply weapons to Ukraine." He explained the position of the Slovak government, which is that "the immediate cessation of military operations is the best solution we have for Ukraine."
Mr. Fico also said that the European Union (EU) needs to change its role from an arms supplier to Ukraine to a peacemaker, emphasizing that it would be better for Ukraine and Russia to participate in peace negotiations in the next 10 years instead of killing each other's citizens without any results.
Prime Minister Fico also pointed out that the possibility of Russia withdrawing from its newly annexed territories was unrealistic – and that it was naive to expect to corner a nuclear state with conventional weapons.
Slovakia's new prime minister said during a two-day visit to Brussels to attend an EU summit on the Ukraine conflict that he would reject any proposal for additional sanctions against Russia proposed by the Baltic states. "If sanctions can harm us, I see no reason to support them," Fico said.
Mr Fico and his government were formally appointed at a ceremony in the capital Bratislava on October 25, less than a month after he won the election with a pledge to increase social spending. Slovakia has frozen military aid to Ukraine since early October while Fico's party negotiates a government with other parties. Slovakia is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Slovakia was one of Ukraine's strongest supporters after Russia launched a "special military operation" in February 2022. It was the first country to supply anti-aircraft weapons to Kiev and opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees. Prime Minister Fico still wants the Eastern European country of 5.4 million people to remain a member of the EU and NATO. However, Mr. Fico ran for office on a pledge to stop Slovakia's military aid to Kiev and restore "basic relations" between the 27-member bloc and Russia./.
