Slovak president Pellegrini denies all requests for citizens willing to join Ukrainian forces

November 4, 2024

By Ukraine

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Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has rejected all four requests from Slovak citizens seeking to join the Ukrainian armed forces, according to TASR.

In response to Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy established the International Legion for the Territorial Defence of Ukraine. This initiative aimed to attract foreign volunteers willing to support Ukraine’s defense efforts, leading to approximately 20,000 foreign fighters joining Ukrainian forces since then.

“Citizens of Slovakia must request presidential permission in advance to serve in the armed forces of another state,” the President’s Office stated as per TASR, emphasizing that unauthorized service in foreign military forces constitutes a criminal offense in Slovakia.

The decision aligns with Pellegrini’s campaign stance supporting Prime Minister Robert Fico‘s position to halt weapons supplies to Ukraine from state reserves. Following his election in April, Pellegrini characterized the ongoing war as “a tragedy that has shown no results in two years.”

In discussions regarding Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, Pellegrini also described the prospect as “not realistic” while emphasizing that the issue was not currently on the table.

This marks a shift from his predecessor Zuzana Čaputová’s approach, who had approved several such applications during her tenure.

One of the four applications Pellegrini rejected was initially submitted during Čaputová’s presidency, but the final decision was made under his administration, TASR reports.

The Slovak approach contrasts with neighboring Czechia, where President Petr Pavel has authorized 60 Czech citizens to join Ukrainian forces, according to recent reports.

Four Czech volunteers have died in the war, including Karel Kučera, who received a posthumous Medal for Heroism on Czech Independence Day. Kučera had entered the fight without official permission from then-President Miloš Zeman.

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