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Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák meets Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III for talks at the Pentagon

Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic

04.03.2024

During his working trip to the United States, Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák met his American counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, for talks at the Department of Defense and visited the Department of State on Friday 1 March 2024. After his welcoming remarks at the Pentagon, Secretary Austin started the meeting by congratulating Slovakia on the 20th anniversary of its NATO membership. In his turn, Minister Kaliňák reaffirmed Slovakia's determination to ensure the continued delivery of the Slovak Armed Forces' modernisation programmes and to enhance the competitiveness of the Slovak defence industry. The Secretary praised Slovakia's responsible approach and many contributions to the Alliance and systematic efforts to ensure the security of NATO's Eastern Flank.

Among the issues on the agenda for today's discussion was assistance to Ukraine. Minister Kaliňák repeated and elaborated on the Slovak Government's position on Ukraine, wherein Slovakia places special emphasis on compliance with international law and condemns any form of aggression. He emphasised that Slovakia does not see a military solution to the conflict at the moment. Only by stopping the fighting immediately can we prevent further bloodshed and restore Ukraine's sovereignty. It is, therefore, inevitable that the international community will contribute to the earliest possible start of peace talks.

The United States respects Slovakia's position and appreciates Slovakia's non-lethal aid from Slovak defence manufacturers in the form of the state-of-the art BOŽENA demining unmanned ground vehicles, the UDS 214 Multi-Purpose Excavators, and the Falcon 4G Long Range Chemical Reconnaissance Detectors. Both leaders reaffirmed their interest in working together to develop national defence industries as a necessary basis for building up defence capabilities.