Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová and Czech President Petr Pavel in Ukraine on April 28. (source: Zuzana Čaputová on Twitter)
Welcome to your weekly commentary and overview of news from Slovakia. The Czech and Slovak presidents visit Kyiv. Another poll shows Slovakia’s vulnerability to Russia and its yes-men.Slovakia to temporarily impose border checks.
Strong messages, weak institutions
When President Zuzana Čaputová first announced she was planning to visit President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, along with her recently elected Czech counterpart Petr Pavel, it was still unclear what fate awaited Slovakia’s obsolete MiG-29 fighter jets, which the Ukrainians had been eyeing. A presidential trip to Ukraine was seen as a potentially fitting moment to announce the transfer.
Though the MiGs had already been handed over to the Ukrainian armed forces well before the Slovak and Czech heads of state arrived in Ukraine on Friday, the visit still fulfilled a purpose: to demonstrate the continuing support for Ukraine from it neighbour, despite one of that neighbour’s former (and possibly future) heads of government unscrupulously capitalising on fears of war among the Slovak population.
