Slovakia halts Ukraine aid

Slovakia’s caretaker government said it has halted sending further military aid to Ukraine as political parties that oppose such support are in talks to form a coalition following last weekend’s election.

“The outgoing bureaucratic government in Slovakia will not send any more military material to Ukraine,” a government spokesman said. The country’s defense ministry was considering sending a new package of aid.

Former Prime Minister Robert Fico’s leftist-populist Smer party won the parliamentary election last Saturday after promising to stop sending weapons to Ukraine, to block Kyiv’s potential NATO membership and to oppose sanctions on Russia.

Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová on Monday asked Fico to try to form a coalition government. He has until October 16 to do so.

“The decision about this issue should reflect the outcome of the recent parliamentary elections and should follow the outcome of the government-formation talks, which are taking place these days,” said Martin Strižinec, spokesman for Čaputová. “A decision about the provision of military assistance at this particular moment would create a precedent for future changes of political power.”

Fico was forced to resign as prime minister in 2018 following massive protests in the country over the murder of an investigative journalist.

Via Politico