SVK Minister of Defence and UK Secretary of State for Defence reaffirm their intent to cooperate closely together and unity in supporting Ukraine

Minister of Defence Jaroslav Naď had the pleasure of welcoming UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace to the Ministry of Defence in Bratislava today. This marked the first time that the two nations' defence ministers have met since a UK Defence Secretary first visited the SVK MOD 21 years ago, and the first visit of a UK Defence Secretary since Slovakia's entry into NATO.

Jaroslav Naď said: “This is proof that today the Slovak Republic has a perfectly clear and credible foreign, security and defence policy and that it is a very important actor not only in the North Atlantic Alliance, but also in our joint current and future sustainable efforts to help Ukraine against the Russian Federationʼs aggression.”

Minister Naď and Secretary Wallace held talks on a whole range of bilateral defence cooperation issues, including the modernisation of the Slovak Armed Forces, joint NATO activities, the UK's potential participation in the NATO Multinational Battlegroup Slovakia (NATO MN BG SVK), and the results of the recent NATO Leaders' Summit in Madrid.

Apart from this, discussions also reflected on the situation in Ukraine – both ministers talked about how they see the future of Ukraine in the coming period and how they can work together to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's unjustified aggression.

Secretary Wallace commended Slovakia for its approach to Ukraine – even internationally, saying: „I know Slovakia is one of the leaders in providing help to Ukraine. When push came to shove, Slovakia was here for all those Ukrainians crossing in fear for their lives as refugees and Slovakia was also here to help the Ukrainians defend their own country. I think thatʼs a noble thing to do and Britain joins Slovakia in doing everything we can to make sure Putin is not a threat to our way of life and not a threat to our own country.”

On UK provision of lethal aid to Ukraine, Mr Wallace said that the UK originally started with hand-held weapons and it is now supplying long range artillery systems, including training the Ukrainian military personnel on such types of equipment.

On arms supplies to Ukraine, the head of the Slovak MOD pointed to the fact that when the MOD leadership “inherited” the Slovak Armed Forces, they were not in a good condition – this was especially true of the SVK Army and Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD). “We operated and still operate some systems of Soviet provenance, however, their maintenance has become practically impossible in the current situation. It is also because of this that we have donated the S-300 system to Ukraine,” Minister Naď said, noting that the equipment Slovakia has transferred to Ukraine is refunded gradually by allies – whether through the EU or other institutions at a bilateral level.

He informed that Slovakia has more Soviet-era equipment, which could help Ukraine a lot and for which there is a serious problem with maintenance & repair services. Therefore, Slovakia needs to get rid of it gradually and replace it with technology in standard use by the North Atlantic Alliance. “We need to have these capabilities secured, thatʼs why we are speaking about a system of replacements. For example, in case of our T-72 tanks, we are in the final stage of negotiations with Germany,” Minister Naď said. Equally important, he confirmed the intent to ground MiG-29s by the end of August. Following their grounding, this will lead into the discussion around their future.

Earlier this morning, the British delegation, accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Marian Majer, paid a visit to the NATO Force Integration Unit Slovakia (NFIU SVK) – of which the United Kingdom forms a part – at Vajnory Barracks in Bratislava.