Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) will travel to war-torn Kyiv on Thursday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after refusing to join European leaders central who traveled to Kyiv in March.
In March, Heger received an invitation to join Czech Prime Minister Peter Fiala, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša on a trip to Kyiv.
However, after consulting Defense Minister Jaroslav Nai and the security forces, he decided not to go. He later reversed his decision, apologized for turning down the offer, and said he would go if given another chance.
“I only thought about it briefly because events happened quickly. I probably didn’t really appreciate the opportunity,” he said.
According to EURACTIV Slovakia, Heger personally asked von der Leyen if he could join her on her trip with Borrell. Austrian Prime Minister Karl Nehammer is also expected to join the delegation.
It is not yet known whether Heger will offer Ukraine further Slovak aid. Since the invasion, Slovakia has supported the Ukrainian government with weapons, ammunition, fuel and humanitarian aid. Heger, as well as President Zuzana Čaputová, are in regular contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukraine is interested in the Slovak S-300 anti-missile system. However, it currently seems unlikely that Slovakia will hand it over to Ukraine as they still haven’t found a permanent replacement for the system. Negotiations continue with the United States on the purchase – at a significant discount – of the American Patriot system.
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