Slovakia has confirmed the end of military aid to Ukraine, including the supply of weapons.
Slovakia, which had been one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, has donated weapons and opened its borders to refugees fleeing the conflict, according to European news channel Euronews.
The New York Times reported that the victory of former Prime Minister Robert Fico, who adopted a pro-Russia stance during his parliamentary election campaign in Slovakia, is another sign of waning support for Ukraine in the West as the war continues and the situation on the frontlines remains largely stagnant.
The newspaper pointed out that Slovakia, a small country with a history of sympathy towards Russia, has an unclear future regarding the nature of the coalition government that Fico will seek to establish.
It could potentially lean more towards pro-Russian policies, similar to the right-wing extremist Giorgia Meloni in Italy, who has held her position since last year.
However, Slovakia’s shift in stance is significant, considering that it was the first country to provide fighter aircraft to Ukraine.
These election results come at a time when concerns are growing about the millions of dollars in military aid provided by the West to Ukraine over the past 19 months.
The United States and the European Union have intensified debates as the allocation of funds increasingly shifts towards domestic priorities.
In the US, Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives recently declined to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Washington last month.
Tensions have also surfaced between Kyiv and the White House regarding Ukraine’s military strategy.
