BRUSSELS, August 18. /TASS/. Slovakia cannot ban its private defense companies from selling weapons to Ukraine, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Igor Melicher told Politico Europe.
"We joined the European Union because of the values we share. We also respect the free market. Therefore, restricting defense industry companies would be quite hypocritical on our part," Melicher said in a statement. However, he emphasized, "most of the military equipment produced in Slovakia is not sold to Ukraine, but to Western partners, who will then decide what to do with this material."
Also, the official shared, "the Slovak government pledged to its citizens <…> that we will not send a single bullet from our state warehouses to Ukraine," and it is "keeping this promise." Slovakia's official help includes sending "non-lethal aid and critical electricity supplies necessary for the functioning of Ukraine as a state," Melicher concluded.
In October 2024, Slovakia refused to provide military aid to Ukraine from its state stocks. Instead, the republic’s companies supply weapons on a commercial basis. Slovak companies make 155mm munitions, and Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers, as well as electronic warfare and communications devices.