Slovakia’s new government has pledged not to send any more arms and ammunition to Ukraine. They have informed NATO that they will no longer supply military aid and munitions from their stockpiles. Defense Minister Robert Kaliniak stated that while Slovakia is a NATO member and pledged to continue providing humanitarian, civilian, and non-lethal aid to Ukraine in order to “strengthen the capacity of its armed forces with a view to ensuring the security of the state and its citizens.”
The new government’s decision is in line with the electoral promises made by the left-leaning SMER-SSD party, led by the former Prime Minister Robert Fico. Slovakia had expressed readiness to continue providing Ukraine with humanitarian support, but left the arming of Ukraine outside of their scope. Many Slovaks sympathize with Moscow’s claim to be fighting a “decadent and hegemonic” West, and Slovakia hosts over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.
Slovakia shares a 60-mile border with Ukraine and the government mentioned “bigger problems” that the country faces than the conflict in Ukraine. The ruling party has formed a coalition and has officially assumed the post of prime minister and has formally rejected providing Ukraine with a fresh military aid package. Their opposition to unqualified support for Ukraine includes their criticism of the EU’s policy of imposing sanctions on Russia and the desire to see peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in hopes of ending the war. The EU’s strategy of aid for Ukraine was also criticized by Slovak and Hungarian leaders.