Defence Minister Naď receives the “For Development of Military Cooperation” medal from Defence Minister Reznikov on his trip to Ukraine

In Ukraine's Kyiv on Friday (31 March 2023), Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď received the “For Development of Military Cooperation” medal from Defence Minister Olexii Reznikov for giving wide-ranging support to our eastern neighbour in the fight against Russia's unprovoked aggression, maintaining constructive cooperation, and enhancing defence ties with Ukraine.

On accepting the medal, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “This medal belongs to all those who have helped save huge numbers of lives in Ukraine as we have responded with taking good and timely decisions. Without the support of my Cabinet colleagues and the right foreign policy mindset, the damage to Ukraine would have been much greater. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet our Ukrainian friends again and see their faces and resolve to keep fighting for freedom. It may sound unbelievable, but it is true that only when one visits these places, one realizes how close human suffering, destruction and terror the Russian Armed Forces have left behind actually are to our borders. It is only with our contribution that the Ukrainian people can finally stop this evil, and hence protect us and our homes.”

While in Kyiv, the SVK government delegation led by PM Eduard Heger also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal, and Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk.

Attending a commemorative event in Bucha, the SVK delegation joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and members of other government delegations in paying their respects to the victims of the Bucha massacre, which occurred on the outskirts of Kyiv in March 2022.

During his trip to Ukraine, Minister Naď heard first-hand about the experience of UKR soldiers using SVK military equipment in real combat, including from gun crews of the ZUZANA 2s, ordered by and delivered to Ukraine under a commercial contract with Slovakia's state-owned joint stock company KONŠTRUKTA-Defence.