Estok: Slovakia to Prepare Winter Aid Package for Ukraine

Luxembourg, 12 October (TASR) - Just as it did last year, the Slovak Republic will prepare an aid package for Ukraine to help it cope with the harsh winter ahead, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Marek Estok stated on Monday, following the first day of the European Union (EU) Council meeting in Luxembourg, emphasising that Slovakia isn't sending weapons or other lethal equipment to Ukraine, but is focusing on humanitarian aid. Since the end of September, Russia has intensified its bombing of Ukraine, targeting primarily its energy infrastructure. In this context, Ukraine has warned that Russia has amassed a significant number of ballistic missiles. Estok stated that the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war dominated the meeting in Luxembourg, which was also attended by Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha, who briefed his European partners on the latest developments. The Slovak state secretary said that Slovakia supports the energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, announced on Sunday (11 October) by US President Donald Trump, but has from the outset called on the EU to put forward its own peace initiatives in the event of war in Ukraine. "We can't simply stand by and watch what initiatives are coming, for example, from the United States," he said, noting that the EU must be proactive and must not limit itself to sanctions alone. Estok also held a bilateral meeting with Sybiha, with the main topic being preparations for the fourth joint meeting between the governments of Slovakia and Ukraine. According to him, this should focus on the revision of the projects agreed so far. am