Slovakia’s new prime minister vows to end Ukraine military aid

WARSAW, Poland — Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová has sworn in a new government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, a populist leader who campaigned on a pro-Moscow platform. One of the politician’s electoral slogans was “Not a single round” for neighboring Ukraine, as Fico declares he will terminate his country’s military support to Kyiv.

On Sept. 30, Fico’s left-wing Direction – Social Democracy party won the nation’s parliamentary election, paving the way for a coalition government headed by the three-time prime minister. After being sworn in on Oct. 25, the new Cabinet has 30 days to obtain the parliament’s vote of confidence. As the coalition partners control a total of 79 of the 150 seats in the unicameral National Council, Fico’s government will most likely secure the necessary votes.

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Slovakia has intensified its military cooperation with Ukraine. For example, Bratislava donated its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system and Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv . However, under Fico’s rule, Slovakia will most likely leave the ranks of Ukraine’s staunch supporters among NATO members .

Meanwhile, it is unclear how the new Cabinet will approach some of the latest decisions taken by its predecessor. Earlier this month, the Slovak ministry of defense announced it was authorized by the country’s outgoing government to launch negotiations on purchasing the Barak MX air defense system from Israel as well as the Piorun weapon, a short-range, man-portable air defense system, from Poland.

Under the plan, Slovakia is to acquire one Barak MX system, and 36 Piorun systems. The two potential contracts are estimated to be worth close to €194 million ($205 million), the statement said.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——斯洛伐克总统祖扎娜·恰普托娃为新一届政府举行了就职宣誓仪式，新政府由总理罗伯特·菲佐领导。菲佐是一位民粹主义领导人，竞选时奉行亲俄立场。他的竞选口号之一是“一发子弹都不给”邻国乌克兰，菲佐宣称他将终止斯洛伐克对基辅的军事支持。

9月30日，菲佐领导的左翼政党“方向-社会民主党”赢得全国议会选举，为这位三度出任总理的领导人组建联合政府铺平了道路。新内阁于10月25日宣誓就职，需要在30天内获得议会的信任投票。由于联合执政伙伴在国民议会150个席位中占据79席，菲佐政府极有可能获得所需的信任票。

自俄罗斯于2022年2月全面入侵乌克兰以来，斯洛伐克加强了与乌克兰的军事合作。例如，布拉迪斯拉发向基辅捐赠了苏联时代的S-300防空系统和米格-29战斗机。然而，在菲佐的领导下，斯洛伐克很可能不再是北约成员国中乌克兰的坚定支持者。

与此同时，尚不清楚新内阁将如何处理前任政府做出的一些最新决定。本月初，斯洛伐克国防部宣布，已获得即将卸任的政府授权，启动从以色列购买巴拉克MX防空系统以及从波兰购买皮奥伦（Piorun）短程便携式防空武器的谈判。

根据该计划，斯洛伐克将采购一套巴拉克MX防空系统和36套皮奥伦防空系统。声明称，这两份潜在合同的总价值预计接近1.94亿欧元（2.05亿美元）。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。