Berlin, February 20 – On Monday, a representative of the German Ministry of Defense said in a government statement that Berlin is negotiating with Slovakia because of the difficulties faced by customs during the transfer of military equipment provided by Germany to Kiev for repair, and an alternative is being sought.
Earlier, Business Insider reported, citing its sources, that Slovak customs are preventing military equipment from being sent across the border for further repairs.
“An alternative is being sought,” a spokesman for the German Defense Ministry said, confirming reports that Slovakia and Germany were negotiating the issue.
In Slovakia last year, repair shops were set up to repair weapons that had broken down due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia has previously sent a memorandum to NATO countries over the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has indicated that any shipment containing weapons to Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that NATO countries were “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, noted that the injection of weapons into Ukraine from the West does not contribute to the success of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative impact. Lavrov stated that the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, “including not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of personnel … in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries.”
