Nad: No Agreement on Providing S-300 to Ukraine Yet

Bratislava, March 17 (TASR) - Slovakia hasn't yet come to an agreement on providing its S-300 air defence system to Ukraine, Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO) reported on Thursday, noting, however, that if the country obtains an alternative to the missile system, he'll be glad to get rid of it and help Ukraine in this manner at the same time. "We are all trying to help Ukraine as much as we can, but I am Slovak defence minister, and I have to ensure first and foremost that Slovakia's defence interests are met," stated Nad, reiterating that the S-300 is Slovakia's only working air defence system and that Slovakia has no alternative to it at the moment. Similarly, Slovakia hasn't agreed on giving its MiG-29s to Ukraine, either. On this note, the minister stressed the need to eliminate Slovakia's dependence on Russian-made military technology, explaining that both the MiGs and S-300 can be maintained only by Russian companies, which, given the state of affairs, is "practically impossible" at the moment. Nad went on to remark that Slovakia had initiated talks long before Russia's aggression in Ukraine on protecting Slovak skies with its allies when the MiGs ultimately cease to be operable. "The situation in Ukraine has only sped up this process," he said, claiming that he'll report more on these matters when everything has been agreed. zel/df