KDH: EU Must Arm Itself Responsibly

Bratislava, March 7 (TASR) - The conclusions of the EU summit in Brussels will be applied in incremental steps, with the opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) planning to keep close tabs on the actions of the EU in the hope that the EU will arm itself responsibly, MEP Miriam Lexmann (KDH) stated at a press conference on Friday. According to Lexmann, increased defence spending must be applied fairly, and Slovakia mustn't be requested to hike its defence spending when this commitment is not being met by all NATO-member states. In Lexmann's view, it is a show of responsibility that the EU is seeking better and more effective ways of collective defence. "Because it's only collective defence that can help us to prevent the spread of war and help to achieve a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine," she said, adding that the EU must assume its share of the responsibility. The EU doesn't need to overarm itself, but rather arm itself responsibly, and the need to bolster transatlantic ties is of equal importance. KDH MP Branislav Skripek pointed to what he sees as double-faced hypocrisy in statements by Smer-SD representatives, as they use radically different narratives at home when compared to their actions in Brussels. Skripek underlined that Fico signalled that he would oppose the EU summit's conclusions, yet ended up agreeing with them in Brussels instead. "As the prime minister talks about the need for peace, I'd like to ask him: are the weapons sold by Slovakia to Ukraine also used for peace?" asked Skripek. mf/df