Germany and Slovakia are currently negotiating a lease extension for a repair hub established on Slovak soil to repair military vehicles supplied to Ukraine by Germany and France.
The facility was built in 2022 by a European defense contractor called KNDS (a product of a merger between German arms manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and French weapon maker Nexter Systems), and its lease is due for renewal this year.
While all parties involved seem to be “supportive” of the lease’s extension, “lot of complications have arisen” since this scheme was enacted two years ago, says international consultant and US Army veteran Ret. Lt. Col. Earl Rasmussen.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and President Peter Pellegrini, both of whom were elected after the KNDS facility was built, favor a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict and do not advocate further military aid to the regime in Kiev, Rasmussen explains.
“So we have a complete changeover, both from the presidential side as well as the parliamentary and the prime minister side from when the contract was initially put together,” he surmises.
The recent assassination attempt on Fico may also complicate this situation further, he points out.
Rasmussen does argue, however, that the lease on the KNDS facility will likely be extended, though Bratislava would probably continue to oppose sending Slovakian weapons to Ukraine.
“I think they'll be very cautious what type of weapon systems are actually repaired there as well,” he adds.