It was already dusk when Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputová visited the squadrons of the "Patriot" anti-aircraft missiles, which have been tasked with ensuring that the skies over Slovakia remain free of intruders for several weeks.

The small country shares a 100-kilometer border with Ukraine and has shown solidarity with its beleaguered neighbors in every respect.

So far, more than 360,000 refugees have arrived in the country with a population of around 5.5 million.

Slovakia also quickly became one of those who provided arms assistance to the Ukrainians.

Thus, the country left its S-300 air defense system to Ukraine.

Peter Carstens

Political correspondent in Berlin

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Gerhard Gnauck

Political correspondent for Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania based in Warsaw.

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Stephen Lowenstein

Political correspondent based in Vienna.

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The Germans and Dutch jumped in with modern "Patriot" systems.

Three squadrons, two from northern Germany with currently 240 soldiers, one from the Netherlands, have been stationed in Sliač in central Slovakia since March as part of a NATO battle group.

Slovakia helps Ukraine, allies help Slovakia.

Presidents Steinmeier and Čaputová came to visit together.

"In times of need, you can see who your friend is," the Slovakian President had previously said.

Čaputová announced that her country could also help Ukraine with heavy artillery - the "Zuzana" system.

This is a Slovak-made wheeled light armored vehicle armed with a 155mm gun, the same caliber as the German Panzerhaubitze 2000 and American guns that went to Ukraine.

First tank delivery from the Czech Republic

Around three weeks ago, the government in Pressburg (Bratislava) announced that negotiations were being held with the Ukraine about the "Zuzana" howitzer.

It has already delivered the air defense system.

The Soviet-made system was, as President Čaputová said, a "gift" to Kyiv - on condition that the United States agreed to supply Patriot systems as a replacement and that NATO allies first secure the airspace.

The delivery of the S-300 system initially took place in strict secrecy.

On April 12, the Slovak government sent out a statement dismissing as "lies" Russian reports that the batteries would be destroyed immediately.

Also classified was the delivery of tanks from the Czech Republic, the first NATO country to provide Ukraine with tanks.

We are talking about one to "several dozen" of the T-72 main battle tank, which was once the most common in the Warsaw Pact, in modernized versions.

According to Czech media reports, Dana howitzers, BTR and BRDM amphibious wheeled armored personnel carriers and RM-70 rocket launchers from Czech stocks were also handed over to Ukraine.

All this has still not been officially confirmed, but the Ministry of Defense in Prague has announced that an agreement has been concluded with Ukraine for the maintenance and repair of combat vehicles by Czech companies.

The announcement did not state how many vehicles are to be repaired under the contract and where this is to be done.

However, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová also spoke explicitly of vehicles that had been damaged in the fighting.

An official note from Moscow that Prague would not be allowed to transfer weapons of Soviet origin without permission was dismissed as "nonsense".

There is no such clause, said Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský.

Anglo-American tank aid to Warsaw

Poland is also helping the neighboring country with weapons.

However, the government in Warsaw prefers not to gossip about the details, out of concern for the safety of "our Ukrainian friends," as they say, and presumably so as not to further strain strained relations with Moscow.

This week Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said they had delivered "armament taken from our stocks" worth seven billion złoty (about 1.5 billion euros).

Morawiecki was then asked about a statement by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that London and Warsaw could start a tank ring swap in favor of Kiev.

Specific question: “Does Poland or will it supply tanks?” The head of government only answered “Yes”.

He will not say more now.

Poland's independence "is now being defended 500 kilometers to the east," in Ukraine.

The most important contribution could be the T-72 tanks.

Poland has 329 of them;

that would be about 40 percent of his main battle tanks.

Johnson had said London could give Warsaw Challenger tanks.

But Poland had planned to buy tanks from America long before the war.

In addition to tanks, Poland has supplied guns, anti-aircraft missiles, light grenade launchers and large quantities of ammunition.

The move from March, when Warsaw wanted to hand over its Soviet-designed fighter jets (MiG-29) to Ukraine, but then backed down due to a lack of approval in NATO, is currently not on the agenda.