Heger: We Need Stronger Defence for Our Own and European security
Bratislava, February 24 (TASR) – Slovakia belongs to the eastern wing of the North Atlantic Alliance and it is in the interest of our own and European security to strengthen our defence capabilities, however, this is only possible in cooperation with our much better-armed allies, Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) said in an extraordinary speech he gave on public-service broadcaster RTVS on Thursday in connection with Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The premier asked Slovaks to accept people fleeing the war.
“I want to reiterate, our absolute priority is to restore peace. However, diplomacy has failed because of the Russian leadership. Strong measures need to be taken that will have a severe impact on the Russian economy but especially send a clear signal to the Russian public that President Putin has dragged their country into a nonsensical war,” stressed Heger.
The premier sees Russia’s attack on Ukraine as unjustifiable barbarism, pointing out the first victims on both sides. He emphasised that the Ukrainians are heroically defending their homeland and managed to stop the Russian army’s advance in many places. According to Heger, Russian President Vladimir Putin has committed a crime with the invasion and will bear extremely serious consequences with his government.
“Russia has been deceiving the world for many months when its leaders claimed that they didn’t plan a military attack on Ukraine. And today, Russian imperialism has shown its true face. It is a face that doesn’t belong in a civilised, peaceful world,” said the premier.
