"If the security interests of Slovakia and Europe require strengthening of military capacities at our Eastern border, then we will of course do it. One for all, all for one. This is a guarantee for having peace in Europe", Heger tweeted on Monday evening.
On 3 February, an agreement on military cooperation between the United States and Slovakia will be signed in Washington. It will allow the US to use several Slovak military airfields and other military bases free of charge. The agreement will be valid for 10 years, with the possibility of subsequent renewal or termination. The document provides for the allocation by the US of $100 million for the modernisation of the nation's defence infrastructure.
Slovak opposition parties and politicians have protested the proposed draft agreement with the US, and Prosecutor General Maros Zhilinka found 35 inconsistencies with national legislation in it. A group of retired prominent politicians asked Slovak President Zuzana Caputova to send the draft agreement to the Constitutional Court for scrutiny, but she declined.
NATO banners in front of the organization's headquarters in Brussels
© Sputnik / Alexey Vitvitsky
/ Last week, CNN reported that the US and its NATO allies are discussing the deployment of additional troops to the alliance's eastern flank, anticipating a potential escalation in Ukraine. According to the report, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary are among the countries considering deploying additional forces.