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Defence Minister Martin Sklenár in Ramstein: Ukraine continues to need our support

Ministry of Defence of The Slovak Republic

19.09.2023

The 15th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) in the format of ministers of defence and senior military officials took place at Germany's Ramstein Air Base today, with the latest battlefield developments in Ukraine and the most urgent military needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the top of the agenda. Slovakia was represented at the UDCG meeting by Defence Minister Martin Sklenár.

In a statement, Defence Minister Martin Sklenár said: "Our dialogue with Ukrainian partners on specific requirements continues. The aim of the Slovak Republic and our foreign partners is to provide the most targeted support possible in favour of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukraine is heroically defending itself against Russiaʼs senseless aggression, it is fighting for our shared values, it is helping to protect our way of life, and, therefore, we will continue to look for ways to support its just fightback against Russia and to protect the lives of civilian populations."

As part of the international community's initiative to support Ukraine with artillery munitions, Minister Sklenár informed his partners that next year Slovakia's defence industry will see a threefold increase in the production of ammunition against today's production levels. In addition, he noted that Slovakia has initiated efforts to extend the service life of expired artillery rounds in the stockpiles of some countries.

On demining training and operations, the head of the Slovak Defence Ministry promised that the SVK Armed Forces are ready to provide Ukrainian forces with training, and announced Slovakia's plan to assist Ukraine more actively in the demining process by joining the Demining Coalition, the formation of which was launched by Lithuania's Minister of National Defence at the UDCG meeting earlier this July.

Speaking about the Demining Coalition, Defence Minister Sklenár said: "Its goal is to train and equip 10 battalions for humanitarian demining operations across Ukraineʼs liberated territory. In addition to the provision of demining training to Ukrainian soldiers, in this initiative we can also see opportunities for the SVK defence industry."

Furthermore, he informed his counterparts that ten Božena mine-clearing unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have already been delivered to Ukraine and that closer collaboration between the SVK-UKR defence industries to design a new howitzer system has been underway.

Since its formation at Ramstein AB in Germany on 26 April 2022, the U.S.-led UDCG has met regularly to explore ways to sustain long-term support to Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor.