“Slovakia has built an impressive reputation as a strong supporter of democracy and the rule of law”, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said following his meeting on Wednesday with Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Rastislav Kacer. The meeting took place during the NATO talks in Brussels. "Thank you for your strong support of Ukraine and continued leadership on NATO's eastern flank," Antony Blinken posted on a social network after a conversation with his Slovak counterpart. After the two-day meeting of the North Atlantic Council, Minister Kacer said that he was proud that the Alliance sees Slovakia as a responsible ally that fulfils its obligations. The main topics of the NATO member talks were preparations for the July summit, strengthening common defence and increasing aid to Ukraine, for which they want to prepare a comprehensive package of long-term support.
Following the NATO ministerial meeting, Slovak interim Foreign Affairs Minister Rastislav Kacer also said that the NATO rotational battalions on the Alliance's eastern flank could be replaced by permanently present troops. As for the battalion-sized battlegroups stationed in eight countries on NATO's eastern flank, including Slovakia, Kacer said that Bratislava wants them to be transformed into permanently present troops and to be expanded to brigade size in each of the eight countries. In relation to Russia, Kacer stressed that before the Alliance returns to standard mutual contacts, it must be sure that Moscow will change its policy. Until then, he said, NATO must be prepared to provide long-term assistance to Ukraine and to deal with the long-term consequences of confrontation with Russia.
Source: TASR
