Caputova after Returning from Ukraine: Peace of Vital Interest to Slovakia
Bratislava, June 1 (TASR) – Peace in Ukraine is of vital interest to Slovakia, President Zuzana Caputova stated at a press conference on Wednesday morning following her return from a visit to Slovakia’s eastern neighbour on the previous day.
According to the president, the visit was meant to once again express Slovakia’s support for a country that is defending itself against Russian aggression. In addition, she held talks on bolstering cooperation between Bratislava and Kiev with representatives of Ukraine and took the floor of the Verkhovna Rada – Ukraine’s Parliament.
“If Russia doesn’t stop at Ukraine, it will stop at nothing. That’s why we have to take an interest and help Ukraine to defend itself,” said the president.
Caputova described her visit to Ukraine as one of the most emotional experiences of her life. “I witnessed great suffering and great pain. We visited the suburbs of Kiev and saw many bombed-out civilian buildings. It was clear there that the damage was caused by targeted destruction by Russia and not by stray missiles,” she said.
At the same time, the president confirmed that Slovakia should soon supply Ukraine with domestic-made Zuzana howitzers. “There’s a commercial contract between Ukraine and a Slovak company. Just yesterday, the final issues were agreed and fine-tuned,” she claimed.
Apart from military aid, Caputova and the Ukrainian representatives discussed Slovakia’s assistance to Ukraine in terms of exporting goods and grain and buying fuel.
The president noted that she’s cautious about using the term genocide in regards to the situation in Ukraine. “The use of this term should be determined by a court. But I can say that all the signs that we can see in Ukraine make it appear as if genocide were really happening there,” she remarked.