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V4 Defence Ministers met in the High Tatras to discuss aid to Ukraine and common projects

Ministry of Defence & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic

12.6.2023
Author: by editorial staff (ob), MoD DPSD

Hungary will join the Czech Republic and Poland in protecting Slovak airspace. The declaration was signed at the V4 meeting in Štrbské Pleso by the four Defence Ministers. This working meeting included the participation of Germany on this occasion. Minister of Defence Jana Černochová was represented by Deputy Minister Daniel Blažkovec.

Assistance to Ukraine was one the key items on the agenda. According to Deputy Minister Blažkovec, the success of the counteroffensive depends on the volume of supplies from the allies. "We keep focusing mostly on heavy equipment, ammunition, air defence and electronic warfare," said Daniel Blažkovec and added that the Czech Republic takes into account the priorities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and seeks to identify additional materiel to offer to Kyiv.

The Czech Republic has also trained some 2,000 Ukrainian troops by now. Deputy Minister Blažkovec said that the training benefits the Czech service personnel who thus gain knowhow directly from the battlefield.

Daniel Blažkovec thanked Germany for supporting Ukraine, especially through the provision of heavy equipment, such as the Patriot and Gepard air defence systems and eighteen Leopard 2 tanks.

The Czech Government recently commissioned the Defence Minister to negotiate joining the procurement of Leopard 2A8 tanks, planned by Germany. Deputy Minister Blažkovec sees it as an efficient method of procurement of high-end technology which shall further enhance NATO interoperability.

"We expect the common procurement to generate lower purchase prices, shorter delivery timelines and provision of adequate logistic support," said Blažkovec.

Czech and German cooperation including military-to-military

Both countries interact on the level of Ministries and the Armed Forces, most recently within the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Group in Lithuania and Slovakia.

The current efforts to strengthen and adapt NATO's deterrence and defence, with the Eastern Flank being its key areas, shall be included among the topics discussed at the last NATO Defence Ministerial in the run-up to the Vilnius Summit.

V4: More than just common acquisitions

The meeting included the signature of the Declaration on the countries' shared commitment to protect Slovak airspace. Hungary shall join the Czech Republic and Poland, which have been protecting the Slovak sky since last year. "This is a tangible example of the V4 regional synergy," Deputy Minister Blažkovec said.

Given the extensive replacement and decommissioning of old Soviet-era technology, Deputy Minister Blažkovec emphasized the need for closer cooperation - for example when it comes to the introduction of Leopard MBTs or CV90 IFVs into the V4 countries' armed forces inventory.

The Minister of Defence Jana Černochová recently confirmed during a meeting with her Slovak counterpart Martin Sklenár that the two countries want to proceed together in identifying the solution to the IFV life cycle support. Cooperation would also be possible when it comes to sharing information from military acceptance tests.

Deputy Minister Daniel Blažkovec confirmed during the meeting that a joined approach brings many positives, including savings: "Coordinating our approach with Slovakia enabled us for example to negotiate a reduction of the purchase price of the CV90 vehicles. Every potential cooperation process must however be preceded by honest strategic discussions to find consensus or acceptable compromises," he said, and added that national industries shall play a key role and must be "robust, resilient and sustainable." The cooperation must also be shielded by the Alliance, as the shared platform, especially in standardisation. The EU also plays an indispensable role.

Czech V4 Presidency to focus on the practicalities of military cooperation

In July, the Czech Republic shall take over the V4 Presidency from Slovakia. Blažkovec said that it shall focus on the strengthening of military and expert cooperation. "The main priorities include the strengthening of interoperability of the V4 armed forces, with focus on common training, and discussions on the future of the V4 EU Battlegroup and the V4 Joint Logistic Support Group Headquarters," he said.