We have seen reactions coming in to Slovakia’s new stance on Ukraine, as expressed by Prime Minister Fico in Brussels.
In Bratislava, coalition partner Peter Pellegrini of Hlas, defended Fico’s remarks: "I don't see in his statements anything that would indicate that Slovakia is somehow heading away from the EU or NATO. It is reasonable to expect some peace negotiations to be initiated in the future.“
Pellegrini, who is also the chairman of Parliament, said that Slovakia no longer can afford to provide military aid to Ukraine, if Slovakia is to maintain some degree of its defence capability.
The leader of the largest opposition party, Progressive Slovakia, said he found Fico’s position “alarming.” PS maintains that Ukraine must continue to receive military and other aid from Slovakia.
Sme newspaper had a reaction from Russia:
Slovakia's intention to stop military aid to Ukraine will hardly change the conflict, said the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Slovakia plays only a minimal role in the supply of Western weapons to Kyiv.
"Slovakia's share in arms supplies (to Kyiv) was actually not that big, and therefore this decision (to stop military aid) will barely affect the whole process," said Peskov.
The Financial Times quoted a "senior EU official involved in weapons delivery to Ukraine,” on Slovakia’s decision to stop military aid. He said “this is a very worrisome development. It could be a real problem.”
Dennik N collected several reactions in Brussels:
The Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, said Fico’s remarks did not offer an answer to questions about what alternative they see. "Really, Russia will win? What happens next? Why do you think you are safe when we hand over Ukraine?" she asked in front of journalists.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he disagreed with Fico on the matter. "It would be very easy to stop focusing on the war in Ukraine," he said, also referring to the crisis in the Middle East. "It's crucial that we don't do that," he added.
(TASR, Dennik, Aktuality, Sme, FT)
