Monitor: Pellegrini to Organise Coalition-Opposition Talks on Military Spending

(STVR, Sobotne dialogy, February 23) Speaking on STVR's political talk show 'Saturday Dialogues', President Peter Pellegrini announced he will organise a coalition-opposition round table on the potential increase in defence spending, so as to be able to present the widest-possible consensus on Slovakia's position at the next NATO summit. "These are serious debates and nothing has been decided yet. Therefore, the listeners shouldn't be concerned that Slovakia would agree to extreme spending. It'll be of crucial importance, both for me and the Government, to preserve social standards and the existing level of health care and education," said Pellegrini. President Pellegrini finds it right that the first round of peace talks on Ukraine are going to be held between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. In Pellegrini's view, the EU should become involved only later in the talks, at the moment when security guarantees are to be negotiated. "If the military conflict is supposed to end with some peace or truce, it won't be possible to make it permanent without the EU because we're here on the European continent, not USA," he said. The head of state also addressed sanctions against Russia, pointing out that already the 16th round of sanctions is on the table, yet Slovakia must first determine potential impacts on its own economy first. In this context, Pellegrini also asked, in case a truce is concluded between Russia and Ukraine, who will become the first to propose their scrapping. "It's easier to impose sanctions than to lift them," he warned. Pellegrini reiterated that Slovakia won't send troops to Ukraine and if any from other countries are to be stationed in Ukraine, they should operate under the flag of UN. mf