Space Travel News
WAR REPORT
Central Europe PMs say will not send troops to Ukraine
Central Europe PMs say will not send troops to Ukraine
By Jan FLEMR
Prague (AFP) Feb 27, 2024

Four ex-communist central European countries said Tuesday they were not planning to send troops to Ukraine as they remained torn on military aid to the war-ravaged country battling Russia's invasion.

The Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak prime ministers spoke one day after French President Emmanuel Macron refused to rule out the dispatch of Western ground troops to Ukraine "to ensure that Russia cannot win this war".

Prague and Warsaw are calling for increased military aid to Ukraine, while Bratislava and Budapest are against.

But all four EU and NATO members forming the so-called Visegrad Group said they would not send ground troops to Ukraine.

"We are not considering sending our troops to Ukraine and we have a common position on this point" with the Czech Republic, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after meeting Czech counterpart Petr Fiala for bilateral talks in Prague.

"Today, we have to concentrate, like the Polish and Czech governments have done, on supporting Ukraine fully in its military effort," Tusk added.

The two leaders spoke of their "common point of view" on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Tusk promised to support a Czech plan for several NATO members to jointly buy ammunition for Kyiv from third countries.

"If all EU countries were committed in helping Ukraine like Poland and the Czech Republic, then it would not be necessary to discuss other forms of support for Ukraine," he added.

- Common past -

At a Visegrad Group press conference later in Prague, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that "as regards Hungary, we are sending neither weapons nor soldiers over".

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that at the Paris conference hosted by Macron on Monday, there were "prime ministers who said they were ready to discuss it and then prime ministers and heads of state who rejected the idea on principle".

"We reject it on principle," added Fico.

Orban blocked a 50-billion-euro EU aid package for Ukraine for months while Fico has refused to provide military aid to the country, questioning its sovereignty and calling for peace with Russia.

Also in Prague, Tusk and Fiala expressed their support for the idea of seizing Russian funds around the world, which they said were worth around $300 billion. They said this could be used to support Ukraine financially.

Speaking alongside Orban and Fico, Tusk recalled the common past the four countries had as satellites of the Soviet Union until 1989.

"If we accepted Moscow's point of view... the one Putin is presenting, then neither Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary nor Poland would be independent states, and we would still be living under occupation," Tusk said.

The Visegrad Group was founded in 1991, two years after Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland shed the totalitarian communist rule of four decades.

Czechoslovakia split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.

Related Links
Space War News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WAR REPORT
'No compromise' if Orban, Fico question Ukraine: Polish PM
Warsaw (AFP) Feb 26, 2024
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday that "no compromise" was possible with his Hungarian and Slovak counterparts if they decline to openly support Ukraine facing Russia's invasion. Tusk will meet Czech, Hungarian and Slovak premiers Petr Fiala, Viktor Orban and Robert Fico in Prague on Tuesday at a meeting in the so-called Visegrad group. Support for Ukraine has sown division among the four-nation group of Central European nations - all NATO and European Union members - as Orban and ... read more

WAR REPORT
WAR REPORT
Confirmation of ancient lake on Mars builds excitement for Perseverance rover's samples

NASA helicopter's mission ends after three years on Mars

New Year, New images from Perseverance on Mars

Polka Dots and Sunbeams: Sol 4078

WAR REPORT
Japan's Moon lander comes back to life

New insights into Lunar evolution with revised geological time scale proposed

Japan craft made successful pin-point Moon landing, space agency says

SLIM deploys robots despite a bullseye upside down lunar landing

WAR REPORT
NASA invites public to dive into Juno's Spectacular Images of Io

Europa Clipper gears up with full instrument suite onboard

New images reveal what Neptune and Uranus really look like

Researchers reveal true colors of Neptune, Uranus

WAR REPORT
UC Irvine-led team unravels mysteries of planet formation and evolution in distant solar system

NASA's Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet's Atmosphere

Passing Stars Altered Orbital Changes in Earth, Other Planets

Scientists Unveil Free-Floating Planetary Giants in the Orion Nebula

WAR REPORT
China plans record 100 space launches in 2024, including lunar and station missions

Stratolaunch conducts second captive carry flight of Hypersonic Vehicle TA-1

MITRE and MDC team up to advance at Midland Spaceport

ESA and PLD Space join forces to enhance small satellite launch flexibility

WAR REPORT
BIT advances microbiological research on Chinese Space Station

Shenzhou 18 and 19 crews undertake intensive training for next missions

Space Pioneer and LandSpace Lead China's Private Sector to New Heights in Space

Tianzhou 6 burns up safely reentering Earth

WAR REPORT
Can astronomers use radar to spot a cataclysmic asteroid?

Lucy gears up for a busy year on route to the Jupiter Trojans

Asteroid 2024 BX1 spotted three hours before impact

New Findings from Ryugu Samples Reveal Cometary Organic Matter

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.