Slovak and German Presidents Have Same Attitude to Helping Ukraine
Kosice, April 27 (TASR) – Slovakia and Germany have the same attitude to aid provided for Ukraine, Slovak President Zuzana Caputova and her German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier said following a joint meeting in Kosice on Wednesday, stressing that Europe and NATO must stand united.
“We can send three signals together from Kosice today, namely that we stand with Ukraine with all our heart and with all our strength, and will support it. Secondly, we can send a signal that we’ve become incredibly united in the European Union (EU) and, thirdly, we must show Vladimir Putin that European democracy is strong,” said Steinmeier.
Caputova pointed out that Slovakia and Germany are facing a wave of refugees, while more than 300,000 refugees have passed through Slovakia so far, of which more than 70,000 have settled here so far. The German president praised the state and the volunteers in Slovakia for how they received them, emphasising that Germany will continue to show solidarity and accept refugees from Ukraine. “It’s our common task – the role of the whole EU and all our partners,” he added.
The German head of state declared that Germany won’t lag behind other EU countries, and will continue to support Ukraine humanitarianly, financially and militarily.
The Slovak president added that Slovakia has been providing military assistance in addition to humanitarian aid since the beginning. According to Caputova, Ukraine is waging a fair defensive war, and a common approach to the allied defence is also important. “We’re open to helping Ukraine, provided we have ensured defence for our country. And that is what we’re negotiating with our alliance partners,” she said.