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Melicher: EU wants to transfer the burden of defense financing from the US budget to the shoulders of Europe

by AI | 19.Nov 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic criticizes the EU and the USA regarding defense issues.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Slovakia Igor Melicher criticizes the USA for long-range missiles. Photo: TASR

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Bratislava – The U.S. permission for Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles on targets in Russia is, according to Slovakia’s State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Igor Melicher (Smer-SD), an “exemplary display of cowardice and active denial of democracy” by outgoing President Joe Biden, and the EU wants to burden Europeans with billions of euros for defense. Melicher declared this on social media, reports TASR.

 “For two whole years, Biden denied Ukraine this possibility because there was still a chance for the ‘democrats’ to win the presidential election. Today, after the elections and before the new president has taken office, Biden and his administration made a cowardly move,” thinks Melicher.

According to the State Secretary, by transferring almost 400 billion euros into the military sector, the European Union confirms that it wants to prolong the war in Ukraine and “shift the burden of its financing from the U.S. budget to the shoulders of Europeans”.

Several American and European media outlets reported on Sunday (November 17th) that U.S. President Joe Biden allowed the Ukrainian army to use ATACMS missiles to target goals on Russian territory.

In June this year, Melicher criticized the former government of Eduard Heger for donating MiG-29 jets and part of the Kub air defense system to Ukraine, and in this context announced that the Ministry of Defense is filing a criminal complaint. In June, Melicher confirmed that the criminal complaints directed against Eduard Heger’s cabinet and former defense minister Jaroslav Naď concerned suspicions of committing sabotage, abuse of official authority, and violation of duties in the management of foreign property. (November 19th)

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