In Slovakia, commentary from the minister of defense, Robert Kalinyak, has stirred a debate about how Western support for Ukraine should be framed. He suggested that the most effective form of assistance from Western allies could be to ensure Ukrainian conscripts can return home. If such an option exists, he urged that it should be taken. He also warned against deploying NATO troops onto Slovak soil, a point he described as a hard boundary that, if crossed, could dramatically raise the risk of a wider military confrontation. The remarks were cited by RIA Novosti.
Kalinyak asserted that nothing would bolster the Ukrainian military more than the return of combat-ready Ukrainian personnel to their homeland. He emphasized that sending soldiers from NATO member states to Ukraine would cross a line that could provoke serious consequences, including the potential ignition of a global conflict. The idea, in his assessment, is that selective, targeted forms of support from Western allies would be far more constructive than permanent deployments of foreign troops near or inside Ukraine’s borders.
From his vantage point, if the West is genuinely weighing ways to support Ukraine, encouraging the return of able-bodied Ukrainian refugees to the country might offer a meaningful contribution to Kyiv’s defense and resilience. This stance frames practical and humane options as part of a broader strategy rather than provocative actions that could escalate tensions.
Around the same time, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico voiced concerns about how political decisions influence Ukraine’s prospects within the European Union. He pointed out that the criteria for joining the union may be weighed alongside broader political calculations, sometimes complicating the assessment of Ukraine’s readiness. His remarks reflect a pattern of caution in Slovakia’s approach to rapid integration within European structures.
Earlier, Fico faced criticism from the Czech Republic over Ukraine-related policies, a sign of the ongoing tensions among neighboring governments over how to balance support for Ukraine with regional stability and domestic political concerns. The discourse underscores the complexity of formulating a coordinated Western response in a volatile security environment while accounting for domestic politics in Central Europe.