Defence Minister Naď at Ramstein Air Base: International support for Ukraine remains inevitable

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď today took part in a multilateral meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The main theme of the UDCG meeting was addressing Ukraine's most urgent needs to defend itself against Russia's aggression.

In a statement, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “International support for Ukraine remains inevitable – which is something the participating nations agree on. It is very encouraging to see the international community’s strong commitment to Ukraine. Slovakia, one of the most active providers of military aid to Ukraine, is fully committed to the continued provision of military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.”

To date, Slovakia has supplied 12 packages of military aid to Ukraine. Included there are, among other things, the S-300 air defence system, Božena mine clearance UGVs, 30 BVP-1 IFVs, five transport helicopters, munitions, fuel, and, as part of the latest tranche of military support, 13 MiG-29 fighter jets and some assets of the SA-6 "Gainful" ("Kub") surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.

Ground-based air defence capabilities are key to Ukraine. “That’s why we were one of the first countries to have donated this strategic asset to Ukraine. I hope this move will encourage other countries to supply much-needed military equipment that will save even more human lives and will help Ukraine free its territory,” the head of the SVK MOD said.

As well as this, Slovakia supports Ukraine with its battle damage repair (BDR) workshop in Michalovce. Minister Naď reaffirmed that Slovakia is now ready to start repairing battle-damaged equipment from Ukraine.