Fico Rules Out Option of Deploying Slovak Soldiers in Ukraine

Bratislava, February 26 (TASR) - Slovakia won't offer Ukraine on a bilateral basis the option of cooperating in the form of the presence of Slovak soldiers on Ukraine's territory, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said following a meeting of the Security Council on Monday. The coalition partners, according to Fico, agreed on the position that he'll present at a meeting of European leaders in Paris later on Monday. The Slovak government, however, will respect it if an EU or NATO-member state agrees to deploy its own soldiers in Ukraine, added the premier. Fico reiterated that the there's no military solution to the war in Ukraine, adding that Slovakia will continue to focus on civilian and non-lethal assistance to Kiev. The government wants to continue to assist Ukraine with demining activities and will also offer a helping hand with the training of Ukrainian personnel in Slovakia, claimed the premier. According to Fico, the talks in Paris will concern a "new scope of support for Ukraine in the upcoming period." In his opinion, the theses of the negotiations show that the situation in Ukraine is far from going as expected. zel/mcs