Ministry of Defense responds: Without this air defense system Ukraine can not donate! – New time

The Ministry of Defense (MO) of the Slovak Republic insists that Slovakia cannot get rid of the S-300 air defense system, which currently protects Slovak airspace, without adequate compensation. This was confirmed to the TASR by the spokeswoman of the ministry, Martina Kovaľ Kakaščíková, in response to information from the American television CNN, that Slovakia had preliminarily agreed to send the system to Ukraine. According to television, the US and NATO are still working to resolve the issue of how to replace Slovakia’s defense capabilities, and the transfer of the system to Ukraine is therefore not yet certain, writes CNN. According to two television sources, Slovakia is asking for assurances that the S-300 system will be replaced immediately. If Slovakia provides its S-300 system, it will probably receive a US-made Patriot air defense missile system, CNN writes, referring to two other sources familiar with the negotiations. Germany and the Netherlands have already announced that they are sending the Patriot system to Slovakia. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will arrive in Slovakia on Thursday (March 17). Over the weekend at RTVS, Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽANO) did not rule out that the delivery of the S-300 system to Ukraine could also be a topic of conversation. He also emphasized that the security of his own territory was paramount.