Slovakia has increased its arms exports to Ukraine but has plans to convince Ukraine to maintain transit of Russian gas after 2024.

Bratislava is actively selling weapons to Ukraine even though current Prime Minister Robert Fico came to power criticizing his political opponents for helping Ukraine. He called his political rivals the pawns of war and himself the main supporter of peace, and during the election campaign last year, he said that he would not give Ukraine “a single bullet.”

However, according to the Slovak magazine SME, export statistics indicate that not only has Bratislava not reduced the volume of military supplies it sends to Ukraine, but it has sold more weapons than previous governments.

“Even before the elections, Fico knew that by banning commercial supplies, he would destroy the international reputation of the Slovak state and private arms manufacturers,” the publication noted.

However, Fico plans to convince Ukraine not to stop gas transit after the agreement with Russia’s Gazprom expires at the end of 2024.

“Both Slovakia and Ukraine would benefit from this due to a transit fee,” says Fico, avoiding the mention of Russian gas.