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Fico meets Stoltenberg
Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
Prime Minister Robert Fico met with NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Thursday to talk about Ukraine. At a press conference they explained their different positions.
Afterwards, they gave a joint press conference. No news, just a difference in emphasis, with Stoltenberg drawing attention to the fact that the repair hub in eastern Slovakia, for military equipment of the Ukrainians, will continue to operate.
Jens Stoltenberg: "Prime minister, I am pleased that you have confirmed that your important military aid will continue and that you will keep contributing to NATO's comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine. I also welcome that the defence industry cooperation on commercial basis between Slovakia and Ukraine will continue and that the crucial repair hub in Slovakia will remain in operation."
And Fico emphasized that military aid will stop, but that Slovakia is planning to increase its production of arms and ammunition to sell to Ukraine: "Yes it is true that we will stop any military assistance to Ukraine. We will not send anything from the reserves of the Slovak army, but, as I have openly said before the elections, we will not block commercial cooperation."
Slovak arms and ammunition makers already saw sales jump 50% in 2022. No results have been published about the current year, but Fico said that his defense minister Robert Kalinak has "interesting" plans to increase production capacity.
(RTVS)
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