President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Eduard Heger.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the development of the current security situation around our country and in the east of the country.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed Eduard Heger about the aggravation of the situation, in particular the intensification of provocative shelling of Ukrainian positions, settlements, Shchastya checkpoint and the UN humanitarian convoy by illegal armed groups.
"We do not see any signs of de-escalation on the part of Russia. The security situation remains tense, the number of ground troops of the Russian Federation’s Armed Forces in the Ukrainian direction is about 150 thousand people," the Head of State stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed the Prime Minister on the initiatives of the Ukrainian side to intensify the negotiation process in all available formats with a view to a peaceful settlement.
The parties agreed that the fate of Europe is being decided in Ukraine today. They stressed the need for further political and diplomatic efforts of the international community to prevent the escalation of Russian aggression.
The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Slovakia touched upon the issues of cooperation between the two countries in the security sphere.
The Head of State thanked the Slovak government for the decision to hand over two Bozena 5 demining systems and medical equipment worth 1.7 million euros to Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed confidence that such assistance will strengthen the capabilities of our state against the background of existing threats.
"It is not words that matter now, but actions. We need concrete support from our partners," said the President of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised Slovakia's support for Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
"We appreciate Slovakia's support for our European integration aspirations. I expect Ukraine to receive the status of a candidate country in the foreseeable future," the President said.
Special attention was paid to energy security during the conversation.
The President thanked the Slovak side for creating additional guaranteed capacities for the transportation of natural gas in the Slovakia - Ukraine direction, noting that this will strengthen the energy security of our country and Europe as a whole.