BRATISLAVA – Ukraine has urged Slovakia to acknowledge Moscow’s responsibility for this week’s drone incursion into Polish airspace, after senior Slovak officials voiced doubts and called for an investigation.
At a press conference on Thursday, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Russian drones entering Polish territory is “an empirical fact that does not require belief,” the Kyiv Independent reported. He also called the violation “a fully deliberate escalation on Russia’s part” and urged Bratislava “not to shift responsibility away from Moscow with inappropriate doubts, but to recognise reality as it is.”
The comments followed Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár’s claim that “the drones that entered Polish territory were not intended to attack Poland, but were meant to end up in Ukrainian territory.” Other Slovak officials, including Prime Minister Robert Fico, also avoided directly naming Russia, saying instead the incident should be investigated.
Slovakia’s foreign ministry later rejected Kyiv’s criticism, saying Tykhyi’s words echoed “the rhetoric of the Slovak opposition and opposition media.” It stressed that “the Slovak government is not absolving the Russian Federation of responsibility,” but was calling for “a responsible evaluation of this incident,” while reiterating its support for Poland.
(de)
