In the opinion of Slovak Defence Minister Peter Gajdoš (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) the results of the democratic election in the USA have to be accepted, but the periods before and after elections tend to differ from each other. "I believe that common sense will prevail and that cooperation between the EU and NATO will continue to deepen," he said to the press agency TASR, adding that he can't imagine this cooperation without the United States. EU countries are divided over the issue of making EU defence policy stronger and more independent. The issue has become more important following Donald Trump's victory in the presidential elections in the USA on November 8, as during the election campaign he promised to limit America's role in Europe's defence. When asked by TASR how he perceives the divided attitude of EU-member states on pursuing more autonomous defence policy in the Union, Gajdoš responded that both the EU and NATO are known for their collective bargaining and collective results. "Consensus must be reached despite the fact that some have more vigorous and some less harsh opinions. Democracy and peace deserve some sacrifice, things don't work without it," he said.
Jaroslav Nad', the director of the Slovak Institute for Security Policy (SSPI), says that the program of the newly elected President of the United States of America Donald Trump in the field of defence and security is not bad. The question is to what extent it will be implemented and what kind of relationship will be established between the United States and Europe and between the United States and the Russian Federation. He expects them to repeat the scenario of previous US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, which saw positive attitudes towards Russia and President Vladimir Putin at the beginning of their terms. "Finally, after a few years they have found that such a policy does not work and they began to be tougher. I expect exactly the same scenario in the case of Trump," concluded Nad'.
