Citizens of Slovakia, contrary to the position of their government, decided to join the Czech initiative for the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine — they single-handedly collected almost €2 million. This is reported by the BBC.
One of the organizers of the shelling fundraiser, 99-year-old journalist Otto Simko, who survived the Holocaust, emphasized that the Russian army must be expelled from Ukraine, and only then will it be possible to talk about peace — on Ukraineʼs terms.
In total, more than 20 countries joined the initiative — the Slovak government did not participate in the campaign, saying that the conflict "does not have a military solution" and sending weapons "will only prolong the war."
"We cannot accept the fact that our government refuses to help our neighbor. Letʼs prove that Slovakia is not a coward and is on the right side of history. Letʼs help Ukraine, despite our pro-Russian government," — Sky News quotes the words of the organizers of the action.
The full list of countries financing the initiative is not announced. However, it is known that Finland, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Great Britain, Canada, France, Poland and Belgium have already joined it.