Slovak premier: Gradual increase in defence spending inevitable

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that it is practically impossible to avoid a gradual rise in the country’s defence expenditures.

Speaking to journalists, Fico commented on NATO’s recent proposal urging member states to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP, Caliber.Az reports, citing Slovak media.

“It is practically impossible to avoid a gradual increase in defence spending,” Fico said. “However, if anyone thinks that we will jump overnight from 2% of GDP to 5% of GDP, they should forget about it. That is not feasible.”

Earlier, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini announced that Slovakia will support a proposal at the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24–25 to allocate 3.5% of GDP to defence spending and an additional 1.5% for supplementary defence needs. According to Pellegrini, a 10-year timeline would be optimal for implementing these plans in Bratislava.

By Khagan Isayev