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Visegrad Four Defence Ministers discussed Ukraine, intensification of cooperation

Government of the Czech Republic

3.10.2022
Author: MoD Communication Department

The city of Banská Štiavnica hosted the meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Visegrad Four countries. Their agenda included continuing assistance to Ukraine and particularly the opportunities to strengthen the V4 defence cooperation. The meeting was convened by Slovakia, which holds the V4 Presidency. The Czech Republic was represented by Defence Minister Jana Černochová.

The key topics of the discussions among the Ministers of Defence of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, which was represented by the MoD State Secretary Marcin Ociepa, included strengthening interoperability, common training exercises, the Visegrad Four EU Battle Group, and the Headquarters of the V4 Joint Logistic Support Group as well as identifying new opportunities for cooperation, for example in countering hybrid threats and on further help to Ukraine.

V4: a resilient organism

In the light of the security threats Europe is currently facing, the Defence Ministers highly praised the very existence of the Visegrad Four. According to Slovak Minister Jaroslav Naď, the Visegrad Four is truly a "resilient organism" that is indispensable not only for the whole central Europe, but indeed for the EU and NATO. Minister Černochová noted that common history predetermines the Central European countries for cooperation. "I am a strong supporter of the Visegrad Four. If we do not seek things that divide us, but rather those that bring us together, the V4 may be an effective platform in today's world," Minister Černochová said.

Military cooperation on sustained basis

The development of the Visegrad Four European Union Battle is tangible proof of the longstanding defence cooperation. Another rotation of V4 EU BG will take place in the first semester of 2023 and the Czech Republic assigns over 600 service personnel. A series of certification exercises have been ongoing to come to a head at the end of this year. Importance is also given to the building of the Headquarters V4 Joint Logistic Support Group, scheduled to achieve full operational capability at January 1st, 2023, with dedicated certification exercise currently underway in Opole, Poland.

Joint action on modernisation

The cooperation among the V4 states has intensified even more in the recent months, thanks to, among others, Minister Černochová. The Czech Republic is coordinating with Slovakia to negotiate with Sweden on the procurement of the CV90 tracked infantry fighting vehicles. All V4 countries are going to have German Leopard tanks in their inventories, which paves the way for additional military and defence industrial cooperation, as they allow for a joint building of the maintenance and servicing capacity.

Along with Poland, the Czech Republic presently provides air defence coverage to the Slovak airspace and there is a possibility for both countries to use the F-35 multirole supersonic aircraft. "Our shared goal is to significantly strengthen the military presence at NATO's eastern border, which is successfully materialising thanks to our joint effort," Defence Minister Černochová underscored.

NATO's Eastern Flank is Combat Ready

The Multinational Battle Group led by the Czech Armed Forces in Slovakia was certified combat ready two weeks ago. The current number of personnel is 1,050 servicemembers from five countries (Besides the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovenia, Germany and the United States). The number of personnel will progressively grow to 1,640. This battle group is one of four the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation formed in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and indeed in Slovakia in response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the east of Europe.

Help to Ukraine must continue

"All four countries have agreed to continue to support Ukraine against the Russian aggression. Ukraine's territorial integrity is in the common interest of all V4 states. We are all committed to peace to return to Ukraine as soon as possible," Minister Jaroslav Naď pointed out. Although the countries pursue their own ways to provide assistance, they still offer joint solutions for example with regard to the demining or repairs of Ukrainian hardware, treatment of wounded soldiers or training. "As the Visegrad Four, we would like to focus on the demining of Ukrainian territory in the near term," Minister Černochová affirmed. She also noted the Czech Republic has been involved in such endeavour in former Yugoslavia.

In the context of Ukraine, the growth of hybrid threats was discussed as well. "Our countries are faced with high quantities of so-called troll farms that often operate across borders. This is nothing new, they have been seen for a while. Anyway, we seek to cooperate in this domain too," Minister Černochová said.