The United States and Slovakia have entered into an agreement on military cooperation, according to the website of the US State Department.

The document was signed by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs of Slovakia Jaroslav Nagy and Ivan Korchok.

At the signing ceremony, which took place in Washington, the head of American diplomacy said that thanks to the treaty, the armed forces of the two states "will be easier to coordinate joint defense efforts."

“Given Slovakia's commitment to modernizing its defense capabilities and infrastructure, this agreement sets the stage for the United States to support these efforts.

We have signed similar agreements with many of our NATO allies because we believe that strengthening defense cooperation is in our interests, the interests of our allies, and the interests of security and stability across Europe,” Blinken said.

In turn, the Slovak Foreign Minister stressed that the presence of US troops in Europe is "vitally important for countries on both sides of the Atlantic", as it contributes to "strengthening the security and stability of Europe and the alliance."

“This agreement is very important for our countries and is of great importance in terms of our obligations within NATO.

It gives Slovakia and the United States the tools to further deepen our military cooperation, which will help ensure that joint actions are clear about why and how (we are acting. -

RT

), and that this happens on agreed terms, ”said Korchok. 

"Follow others' interests"

As the US Embassy in Slovakia previously reported, the essence of the agreement is that, under the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI), Washington will allocate $105 million to upgrade infrastructure at Malacky and Sliac airbases.

According to Reuters, the US military will be able to use these airfields, but the agency does not specify the conditions for their operation.

The document is designed for 10 years with the possibility of automatic renewal.

At the signing ceremony of the treaty, Blinken assured that the document did not give a cut blanche for the deployment of American troops in Slovakia.

"Today's agreement does not contain anything that would imply the deployment of US bases or troops in Slovakia on a permanent basis, and it is entirely consistent with the sovereignty and law of Slovakia," the Secretary of State said.

In early January, the agreement with Washington was supported by the government of Slovakia.

Now, for the document to enter into force, the approval of the National Council (parliament) and the President of the Republic, Zuzana Chaputova, is required.

She is a supporter of strengthening the so-called eastern flank of NATO, and shortly before the signing of the military agreement, she announced her support for this document.

According to experts interviewed by RT, the alignment of forces in the Slovak parliament allows us to conclude that the deputies will adopt a military treaty with the United States by a majority of votes.

In the National Council, the most influential critic of the agreement is the Direction Social Democracy party, led by ex-premier Robert Fico.

In the 2020 elections, the Social Democrats took second place, losing to the Ordinary People and Independent Individuals (OLNL) centrist party.

  • © sk.usembassy.gov

In January of this year, Fico's political force tried to get the conclusion of a military cooperation agreement with Washington to be submitted to a general referendum, but failed to enlist the support of a sufficient number of parliamentarians.

Meanwhile, only an insignificant part of the Slovak population approves of the document on military cooperation with the Americans.

Thus, according to the data of the local sociological agency MEDIAN, cited by TASS, only 15% of respondents unambiguously support the agreement.

35% of respondents are categorically against the conclusion of the contract, another 19% called it inexpedient.

More than half of the citizens of Slovakia are in favor of organizing a plebiscite on a military agreement with the United States.

As Alexei Podberezkin, director of the MGIMO Center for Military-Political Research, said in an interview with RT, the results of opinion polls eloquently indicate that the vast majority of Slovak society is aware of the possible negative consequences of implementing a military treaty with the United States.

“The Slovaks understand that Washington intends to use their country as another anti-Russian foothold.

At the same time, the population of Slovakia does not see the republic as an opponent of Russia.

Yes, Slovakia is a member of NATO, the European Union, but the citizens of this country do not want to spoil relations with the Russian Federation, ”Podberyozkin explained.

Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shares a similar view.

“In Slovak society and the current opposition, there is an understanding that Slovakia is being drawn into a military-political game, where it must fulfill someone else’s will and follow other people’s interests, at the risk of losing normal relations with Moscow,” the analyst emphasized in a conversation with RT.

Note that the Slovak Social Democrats are sure that the only purpose of the military agreement with Washington is to bring American forces closer to the borders of Russia.

They also point to uncertainty about the possible deployment of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction by the United States Armed Forces in the republic.

"Support Russophobic policy"

On the part of the executive branch of government in Slovakia, the country's Attorney General Maros Zilinka spoke out against the military cooperation agreement with the United States.

Earlier, he published 35 remarks to the agreement and stated that not all of its points correspond to the Constitution of the republic.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of Slovakia have repeatedly rejected the arguments of opponents of the military cooperation agreement with the United States.

So, in the first half of January, during a press conference, Ivan Korchok said that any possible deployment of foreign troops would have to be approved by the government and parliament.

  • © AP Photo/CTK, Jan Koller

According to Korczok, the discussions that have unfolded in Slovakia regarding the agreement are filled with disinformation, demagogy and populism.

According to Alexei Podberezkin, due to its geographical position, Slovakia is of great military importance for the United States, as it is located in the center of Europe, adjoins Ukraine and is in relative proximity to the Russian Federation. 

“The United States, of course, would like to take control of the territory of this republic.

But I still doubt that Bratislava will really agree to the deployment of American troops, especially permanent ones.

The population is unlikely to support it.

It is unprofitable for any Slovak leadership, whatever their views, to pursue such a course, ”says Podberezkin.

From his point of view, the main goal of the agreement on military cooperation between Washington and Bratislava is to influence "the political and ideological state of the Slovak society."

“With the help of such bilateral agreements, the United States is trying to create a cooperation format that would make it possible to more effectively support the Russophobic policy in those states where traditionally such a position did not exist,” argues Podberyozkin.

Vadim Kozyulin, however, has a different point of view.

In his opinion, by concluding bilateral agreements, Washington hopes to achieve in the NATO member countries the liberalization of legislation regulating the presence of American servicemen with weapons and military equipment there.

“Most recently, the Americans announced plans to send an additional contingent to Eastern Europe.

I think Washington is preparing the ground in order to increase its military presence near the borders of Russia in the future already by deploying troops in Slovakia, moreover, on a permanent basis in the form of military bases, ”said Kozyulin.

He stressed that Washington is seeking to force Slovakia to act in an anti-Russian vein - and the main point of this course is to expand the American military infrastructure in Europe.

“According to Washington’s plan, NATO is necessary to “contain” Moscow, and any member of the bloc must fulfill its “purpose”, that is, be an anti-Russian springboard.

Slovakia, as Washington sees it, cannot be an exception.

At the same time, Bratislava needs to understand the inevitability of retaliatory measures from Russia if it allows the deployment of American forces in the republic, ”Kozyulin emphasized.