Interim Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad on Tuesday held talks at his ministry with ambassadors from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and the USA, TASR has learnt from ministry spokeswoman Martina Kakascikova.
The ambassadors and the minister addressed current security-political issues with emphasis on the Defence Ministry's priorities in the context of assistance to Ukraine and modernisation of the armed forces.
"Russia's aggression against Ukraine is the biggest security challenge for our countries in decades. I am very pleased that Slovakia's clear positions and determination to help Ukraine in its just struggle for freedom are appreciated by our Baltic and Scandinavian partners, many of whom share borders with Russia," said Nad.
The minister noted that the Russian invasion has prompted some countries to historically reassess their security policy and join the world's strongest defence alliance. "This is an important step, unfortunately against a background of despicable circumstances," he remarked. Nad congratulated Finnish Ambassador Pasi Tuominen on his country's recent accession to NATO.
As for the USA, Nad and US Ambassador Gautam Rana discussed current transatlantic processes and modernisation priorities, including the provision of a grant from Washington to Slovakia worth $200 million dollars for the acquisition of military equipment. According to the ministry spokeswoman, the grant should be used to procure Oshkosh JLTV 4x4 armoured vehicles, 5,000 assault rifles and sophisticated anti-drone systems. In addition, Nad and Rana addressed the next steps concerning the USA's bid for AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters.
Source: TASR
