Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the country's accession to the 'Coalition of the Willing' contradicts the state's peace-oriented policy. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Earlier, the Slovak publication euBrief, citing the French embassy in Slovakia, reported that the country had joined the coalition. However, Fico denied this information, stating that Slovakia has not been and will not be a member of the coalition supporting the conflict in Ukraine.
"Participation in such an association contradicts the essence of our peace policy. We cooperate with Ukraine only on a bilateral basis," the prime minister said in a video address published on social media.
According to him, Slovakia does not provide military or financial aid to Ukraine, only humanitarian support.
The 'Coalition of the Willing' includes more than 30 states. The initiators of the association are the United Kingdom and France. In January, the coalition leaders signed a declaration on the intention to deploy troops on Ukrainian territory after a peace agreement is reached.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov on July 13 called this coalition a "group of war instigators," stating that its members support not peace but the continuation of the conflict.