BRUSSELS, March 24. () –
The European Union has pointed out this Friday the “great gesture of solidarity” of Slovakia with Ukraine by delivering the first batch of four MiG-29 combat aircraft, the first shipment of this type of material to Kiev by a NATO ally country .
Slovakia delivered this Thursday the first four Soviet-made fighters to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to the Ministry of Defense, which described it as an unprecedented step in assisting Ukraine.
“Great gesture of solidarity with the Ukrainian people to help them in the fight against Russian aggression, for their freedom and European values,” said the EU’s Foreign Affairs spokesman, Peter Stano, in a message on social networks.
Stano, a Slovak national, has indicated that the country knows “the nature and consequences of the Russian invasion and occupation”, referring to the stage in which the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was under the influence of the Soviet Union.
NATO member Slovakia confirmed last week that it would join the gesture previously announced by Poland and hand over 13 Soviet-made aircraft to Ukraine. The first batch has already been delivered, with the direct involvement of Ukrainian pilots.
The Slovak Defense Minister, Jaroslav Nad, has underlined the “solidarity” of Bratislava with the Ukrainian authorities and people and has indicated that the delivery of fighters will appear “in capital letters” in the history books.
