NATO Summit: Pellegrini Met with Trump and Starmer

The Hague, 25 June (TASR-correspondent) - During the NATO summit, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini briefly met with US President Donald Trump and discussed potential cooperation on the possible construction of a new nuclear power unit in Slovakia, TASR learnt from its special correspondent on Wednesday. On the sidelines of the summit, Pellegrini also held a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom he invited to Bratislava for an international conference on education in November. Pellegrini told Starmer that after the end of the war in Ukraine, Slovakia could provide logistical and technical support for NATO armed forces. Pellegrini spoke with Trump before the start of the leaders’ session. He informed the US President that Slovakia is on the verge of making a final decision regarding the construction of a new nuclear energy source. Pellegrini stated that Slovakia is interested in cooperating on this project with the United States and the company Westinghouse. According to the Slovak head of state, Trump received this news very positively and said negotiations should continue, as the American side is quite interested in this cooperation. The President also had his first bilateral meeting with the British Prime Minister. They discussed the final text of the summit declaration, as Slovakia and the UK jointly advocated for extending the timeline to reach the agreed-upon five percent of GDP in annual defense spending. Pellegrini invited the British leader to an international conference on education and artificial intelligence, which will take place in Bratislava in November. Pellegrini expects the participation of several world leaders in the event, including the UN Secretary-General. Pellegrini also told the British Prime Minister that Slovakia is ready, after the war in Ukraine ends, to serve as a logistical and technical hub “for any potential needs of NATO or British armed forces that might operate from Slovakia as part of a peacekeeping mission.” Pellegrini noted that there are currently three logistical centres on NATO’s eastern flank — one in Slovakia and the others in Romania and Poland. mf/mcs