State Secretary Marian Majer holds talks with his Ukrainian colleague Lt Gen Anatoliy Petrenko

Slovakia fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders and considers any change to them by military force as unacceptable, State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence Marian Majer confirmed in a phone call with Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine for European Integration Lt Gen Anatoliy Petrenko on Tuesday (28 April 2020).

State Secretary of the SVK Ministry of Defence Marian Majer stated: "Ukraine is not only our neighbour but also one of our closest partners. That is why we underscore the importance of driving forward the implementation of the Minsk agreements and we unequivocally support the policy aimed at resolving security and humanitarian issues in the Donbass." Both colleagues agreed that the protection of Ukraine's civilian population must come first and be at the forefront of all efforts.

Marian Majer reaffirmed Slovakia's steadfast support for Ukraine on its path of integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, and the Ukrainian partner was particularly appreciative of that support. The two colleagues also addressed current NATO-Ukraine issues.

Marian Majer updated his colleague on the priorities of the acting MOD leadership, the developing COVID-19 situation, the deployments of SVK Armed Forces service members. He underlined the cooperation between the SVK and UKR MODs on security and defence. "These days, numerous activities are being impacted by the coronavirus crisis, however, as soon as the situation allows, we are ready to actively build up on the cooperation so far, both at the political and military levels as part of education and training activities," he said.