Slovakia sends ammunition to Ukraine against its will
Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak (Getty Images)
Slovakia is supplying Ukraine with ammunition despite its refusal to provide military aid to Kyiv. However, this is happening through other countries, according to Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak.
He insists on increasing ammunition production despite the government's refusal to arm Ukraine. Slovakia plans to increase production of large-caliber ammunition to 200,000 next year from 125,000 this year.
Kalinak explains that the buyers decide what to do with the ammunition, which could bring it to Ukraine without violating the government's position against military aid to Kyiv.
This stance makes Slovakia an outsider on NATO's eastern flank, along with Hungary.
"Our political declaration states that we won’t give free military aid to Ukraine, because by doing that we would be supporting the conflict. But we won’t limit defense production when it supports gross domestic product, because by doing that, I’d be harming the interests of Slovakia," Kalinak said.
Slovak Prime Minister's stance on war in Ukraine
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that Bratislava would not support providing Ukraine with military assistance to fight Russian aggression.
Fico also believes that the war in Ukraine is a "frozen conflict" that cannot be resolved by sending weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
