Slovakia announces suspension of aid to Ukraine

On Thursday, Fico said he had spoken to the head of the European Commission about his government 's move at a meeting ahead of the bloc's summit in Brussels.

Slovakia informs the European Union about the use of aid to Ukraine image 1 — New Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. Photo: AFP

In a Facebook post, Fico said Ursula von der Leyen respected "the sovereign right of member states to support Ukraine militarily or not, and she appreciates our position on humanitarian aid".

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Fico told lawmakers that the country would “no longer supply weapons to Ukraine”, but would still provide humanitarian aid to its war-torn neighbour.

“I will not support military aid to Ukraine… An immediate halt to military operations is the best solution we have for Ukraine. The EU should change from an arms supplier to a peacemaker,” he added.

According to the Germany-based Kiel Institute, Slovakia has pledged a total of 680 million euros in aid to Ukraine until July 2023.

That makes Slovakia one of the countries with the largest government support for Ukraine in terms of GDP (0.65%), after Norway, the Baltic states, Denmark and Poland.

Mai Anh (according to AFP, CNA)

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