Blanar: Slovakia Monitors Coalition of the Willing, Can Help with Logistics

Podgorica/Bratislava, 10 February (TASR-correspondent) – Slovakia is not a member of the so-called coalition of the willing formed with respect to Ukraine, but it is monitoring its activities and, at the same time, it is ready to take part at a technical level as an observer and offer logistical support for troops that could be deployed to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, if they're acceptable to both Kiev and Moscow, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) said on Tuesday in response to a TASR question at the start of his visit to Montenegro. At a press briefing, Blanar reiterated the government's position that Slovakia will not send any of its soldiers to Ukraine, as such a move would only escalate the situation. He added that Russia itself considers the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine unacceptable. "Since both sides must reach an agreement, we do not see the point in this, but in any case we are monitoring what's happening within the coalition of the willing, because our NATO membership is absolutely key for us. That is our security guarantee," he said. According to Blanar, Slovakia's three top constitutional officials have considered the option of Slovakia holding observer status within the coalition of the willing. In this regard, he said President Peter Pellegrini expressed such a view, which was reportedly shared by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD). "We are ready to take part as observers at some lower technical level, but so far I can say that the coalition of the willing has essentially achieved nothing," noted the foreign minister. He added that while the participating countries speak about the possibility of sending their troops to Ukraine, they also point to obstacles to such a decision. As an example, Blanar mentioned Britain, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer has emphasised that any deployment would require parliamentary approval. "If peace is to be achieved in Ukraine, there must be a compromise acceptable to both the Russian Federation and Ukraine. And the Russian Federation has clearly defined that troops of European Union countries that are also members of the North Atlantic Alliance are unacceptable to them," Blanar added, calling for the search for a different solution. mf