If Ukraine uses long-range missiles against Russia, it will lead to the escalation of tension, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) declared after Tuesday's session of the EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Council in Brussels, TASR learnt from its special correspondent on the same day.
Kalinak confirmed that the issue of Ukraine was the fulcrum of the talks and reiterated the stance that Slovakia doesn't support the use of long-range missiles against targets in Russia.
"We think that this would dramatically escalate tension and, first and foremost, drag EU and NATO countries into conflict. That's why we perceive it as a problem," he explained.
When asked whether the ministers commemorated the first 1,000 days of Russian aggression against Ukraine, Kalinak claimed that there were many statements calling for Ukraine's victory.
"If talks had begun in late 2022, at the time when Ukraine managed to regain Kherson and Kharkiv, then there would have been no 1,000 days of war. That's when the pressure of the EU should have been exerted. Once the conflict has progressed and, particularly today, when it turns out that the situation on the battlefield is difficult, the cards we hold are weaker than Russia's. It's harder now to respond," said Kalinak, who underlined that the priority is to prevent the involvement of NATO in the conflict.
Another issue discussed was the European Peace Facility (EPF), in which Hungary has blocked the transfer of €6.6 billion to Ukraine. Kalinak added that the new model, proposed at the session, is "not so interesting and advantageous for us".
As part of the EPF reform, EU leaders want financial contributions to become voluntary and not mandatory as they are now, with the need to pass every decision unanimously. Such a new model would enable the EU to bypass the Hungarian veto on military aid for Ukraine.
The overarching issues of the talks also included investments in the EU defence industry and its expansion. "Everyone thinks of their own defence in times of crisis, so that they can later also come to the aid of others," said Kalinak, adding that it's this principle on which the European defence industry must be built. The aim is to become able to supply European countries with every military material needed.
Kalinak underlined that the Slovak defence industry is "quite strong" by European standards and boasts "interesting production capacities". Because of this, it's necessary to support Slovak projects with good ratings also financially, as that will lead to the creation of new jobs in Slovakia and bolster the economy.
Source: TASR
