Slovakia okays €40Bn aid for Kyiv, if put also to non-lethal use

Slovakia will agree with the proposal by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to have the allies commit to provide Ukraine with at least €40 billion annually, on the condition that the money can be used also for non-lethal systems, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said after the end of the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers held in Prague on Friday.

"We're ready to talk about this because Slovakia does help, but I must emphasise - only on the condition that the money can be used also for non-lethal systems, such as de-mining, various power shovels and things like that... But we surely don't wish to contribute anything to lethal force," accentuated Blanar.

Blanar added that Slovakia is a member of a de-mining coalition and in this respect wishes to utilise its expertise and production capabilities to the maximum in Ukraine.

When asked whether Ukraine should be allowed to use weapons supplied by the West to strike targets in Russia, Blanar responded that this is a bilateral affair and it's up to every individual state to decide. "It remains to be seen how the Russian Federation will react to such use of these weapons. It also remains to be seen whether this will contribute to the resolution of the problem or, on the contrary, to its escalation," he said.

Blanar added that Slovakia is in favour of peace and plans to do its utmost for that at the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland.

Source: TASR