Slovakia will independently determine growth rate of defense budget - Fico
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico does not support increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Espresso.
According to Fico, all international decision-making mechanisms for the use of military force have failed. According to him, great powers make such decisions alone, which leads to a deterioration in the security situation and the threat of a new global military conflict.
"Large-scale armaments and a possible global military conflict are now being talked about much more than peace or improving people's living standards," the Slovakian prime minister said.
Most NATO countries support increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. However, Slovakia, which is currently focused on restoring public finances and raising living standards to the EU average, "has other priorities," according to Fico.
The politician emphasized that Slovakia will remain a member of NATO, but must decide for itself at what pace to increase its defense budget in order to achieve the Alliance's goals.
Fico announced:
- Slovakia, like Spain, reserves the right to determine the pace and structure of defense budget growth until 2035.
- In the state budget for 2026, the government will not support any increase in arms procurement spending above the level of 2025.
- Any increase in the defense budget in 2026 will be directed exclusively to dual-use projects, such as the construction of hospitals or roads.
As a reminder, Donald Trump has stated that all NATO countries except the United States should spend 5% of GDP on defense.
