Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the previous government of “lying” to Slovaks about the Ukraine aid program.
Slovakia will demand compensation from the European Union for the weapons it provided to Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced. The previous government had it “lie” about the aid program, he said in a video address posted on Facebook on Sunday.
Fico halted all state-sponsored military aid and arms transfers to Kiev after taking office in 2023. He has claimed that the government of his predecessor, Eduard Heger, left Slovakia. “completely naked” for donating fighter jets and air defense systems to Ukraine.
In the year following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, Heger’s cabinet approved the export of many Soviet-era tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. Equipment supplied also included Soviet MiG-29 jets and S-300 missile systems. Bratislava handed over nearly €700 million ($809.8 million) worth of equipment to Kiev between 2022 and 2023, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
“In Brussels, I will discuss the issue of compensation for military equipment given to Ukraine,” Fico said on Sunday, referring to the upcoming EU summit next week.
Under the agreement reached by the Heger government, the supplied equipment was to be replaced by Western equipment, supplied by Germany in particular. Slovakia’s Defense Ministry said at the time that the agreement was insufficient as Berlin promised to replace almost half of the equipment sent to Ukraine.
Fico has long opposed Brussels’ stance towards Moscow, including military aid given to Kiev and sanctions on Russia. He was the only leader of the European Union to attend the Victory Day celebrations this year in Moscow, where he warned against “The New Iron Curtain” and want the conversation to be renewed.
He has also repeatedly said that the union’s policies and refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations with Moscow were hurting the EU itself, forcing member states to deal with higher energy prices after Russian oil and gas imports were blocked under sanctions.
On Sunday, he described his recent conversation with the President of the European Council Antonio Costa as “disappointing,” adding that the EU is determined “fight” against Russia “To the last Ukrainian soldier and to the last euro” despite the camp “Decreasing competition” and “High energy prices.”
Russia has repeatedly said that it has “he never turned down a conversation.” It also accused Kiev’s Western supporters of following a “destruction policy” with the aim of pressuring Ukraine to continue fighting and to undermine any peace efforts.
