Slovakia's top general visits Ukraine's southern forces command

General Daniel Zmeko, chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, paid a visit to the Tavria group of troops fighting in Ukraine's south, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Aug. 17.

"During the meeting with defenders from the Defense Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian side thanked Slovakia for the material and technical assistance provided to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the Ukrainian military wrote on social media.

"In particular, the effectiveness of combat use of weapons provided by the Slovak Republic was noted."

General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, met his Slovak counterpart last week during Zemko's visit to the country.

The two senior officers discussed the situation at the front and the needs of Ukraine's army, and Zaluzhnyi thanked the Slovak general for Bratislava's support against the Russian aggression, the Ukrainian commander wrote on his Telegram channel.

Slovakia, a Central European NATO and EU member, has provided Ukraine with both humanitarian and military support since the start of the full-scale invasion.

The military hardware provided to Kyiv included, among else, artillery, armored vehicles, air defenses, and most notably 13 Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets previously operated by the Slovak Air Force.

Zelensky criticizes pro-Kremlin sentiment in Slovakia

President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 7 lashed out at the pro-Kremlin views of some of Slovakia’s residents, saying that a pro-Russian position is a “pro-terrorist” one.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek