On July 1, bilateral consultations took place in Kyiv, co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko and Director-General for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Martin Kačo.

Prior to the consultations, Olexandr Mischenko and Martin Kačo laid flowers at the Wall of Remembrance for those who died for Ukraine and honoured the memory of our country's defenders.

Deputy Minister Olexandr Mischenko reaffirmed Ukraine's commitment to developing a constructive dialogue with neighboring Slovakia. However, commenting on recent statements by Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár regarding the possibility of forgiving Russia, Olexandr Mischenko stated that such proposals are categorically unacceptable and do not reflect the realities of the war, especially that the aggressor state must be punished for the committed crimes, as clearly stated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha.

Olexandr Mischenko emphasised that the decision not to continue the transit of Russian gas through our country is irreversible, as Russia uses the money earned from it to kill Ukrainians. He called on Slovak partners not to associate themselves with sponsoring the Russian military machine. The Slovak side was reminded of the significance of supporting the new EU sanctions package against Russia, which targets key sectors of the aggressor state to limit its ability to finance the war.

The Deputy Minister expressed his gratitude to the Slovak side for supporting the Agreement on the Establishment of The Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. He also expressed his hope that Slovakia would join the activities of this important institution.

Olexandr Mischenko highly commended Bratislava's support for Ukraine's European Union membership and the readiness to facilitate this path. In this context, a high assessment by the Slovak side regarding the level of protection for national minorities' rights in Ukraine, particularly for the Slovak minority, is considered important.

The Parties thoroughly discussed issues on the bilateral agenda, including further development of political dialogue, sectoral cooperation, development of the legal framework, implementation of mutually beneficial energy and infrastructure projects, and the involvement of Slovak businesses in efforts to rebuild Ukraine.

Humanitarian assistance provided by the Government and volunteer organizations of Slovakia is highly valued. In this context, Olexandr Mischenko expressed his gratitude for Slovakia's contribution to humanitarian demining, particularly for the willingness to manufacture modern Bozena-5 demining machines for Ukraine's needs.

For its part, the Slovak side informed about the preparation of new humanitarian aid projects, which will encompass medical evacuation support for the wounded and psychological assistance for internally displaced persons in the Kharkiv region.

Given that Slovakia had assumed the presidency in the Slavkov format, the importance of strengthening this regional grouping's interaction with Ukraine was emphasized.

The interlocutors discussed the opening of a General Consulate of Ukraine in Prešov by the end of this year.

The Parties highly commended cooperation within international organizations and discussed further coordination of efforts in a multilateral format.