Ukraine says it 'respects' Slovakia's choice

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday that his country "respects the choice of the Slovak people" after the opposition populist party won in legislative elections, which promised to stop providing aid to Kyiv. However, he emphasized that it is premature to speculate on the consequences for his country. 

On the sidelines of a European ministerial meeting in Kyiv, he stated, "We respect the choice of the Slovak people. But it is too early to say how the outcome of these elections will affect Slovakia's stance." 

The Ukrainian minister commented on the "Smer-SD" party, which secured 23 percent of the votes in the Saturday elections, saying, "We have to wait for the formation of the coalition, and then we will draw initial conclusions based on its composition." 

The party, led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico, intends to halt military assistance to Ukraine and has criticized the European Union and NATO. 

During the election campaign, Fico, aged 59, pledged that Slovakia would not send "even a single bullet" to Kyiv and called for improved relations with Russia. 

Slovakia is one of the largest European donors to Ukraine in relation to its gross domestic product. 

AFP