EU country tells Ukraine it won’t supply more weapons

Slovakia has no more arms to spare for Kiev, the country’s foreign minister has said

Bratislava will not supply military equipment to Kiev from its own stockpiles but will continue to assist Ukraine in other ways, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar told his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock during a visit to Berlin on Friday.

Blanar stated that his country’s position is consistent and clear: it will not supply Ukraine with any more military material because there is simply “nothing left,” according to local media reports.

However, the country has reportedly agreed to expand its repair base for German-supplied military equipment in Michalovce, near the border with Ukraine. The repair shop began operating at the end of 2022 and is currently used by German companies. Berlin is financing the repairs, while Slovakia provides the premises.

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Blanar also noted that Slovakia will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and plans to participate in demining efforts. The Slovak minister emphasized that Bratislava supports all peaceful solutions to the conflict.

After winning the parliamentary election last year, Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Smer-SD party halted deliveries of weapons to Ukraine and called for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. He promised to restore trade and political ties with Moscow once the fighting ends, arguing that “the EU needs Russia, and Russia needs the EU.”

Fico, a longtime critic of Western military aid to Ukraine who survived an assassination attempt by a reportedly pro-Kiev shooter following sustained media criticism of his position, also promised to block Ukraine from joining NATO, arguing that allowing the country to join the US-led military bloc could pave the way for a world war.

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Slovakia’s previous leadership had generously supplied arms to Kiev, including equipment such as MiG-29 fighter jets and S-300 air defense systems. According to Defense Minister Robert Kalinak, his predecessors acted “in the most irresponsible way” when they handed over the weapons needed for the country’s own safety.

The interim government of PM Eduard Heger possibly even breached the law when it hastily authorized the delivery of 13 MiG-29s to Kiev in March 2023, according to Bratislava’s state secretary to the minister of defense, Igor Melicher. Fico’s government has requested a legal review of the shipment.