Lawmakers in Slovakia narrowly approved a defence treaty with the United States on Wednesday, making it the last NATO member on the alliance’s eastern frontier to enact such a pact, despite rowdy opposition in parliament fuelled by the Ukraine crisis.
The treaty allows US forces to use two airports in Slovakia, which shares a short mountainous border with Ukraine.
Western countries accuse Russia of planning an invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow denies.
Other NATO countries in Eastern Europe have strongly backed a US decision to beef up forces in the region during the standoff with Moscow. But the issue is more contentious in Slovakia, where a poll last month showed more people blame NATO than Russia for the Ukraine crisis.
The Slovak government said the defence cooperation treaty was in line with treaties signed by 23 other NATO peers, including all those on the alliance’s eastern border. It still needs the president’s signature.
“The agreement is giving us an opportunity to modernise, together with the United States, our defence infrastructure,” Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said before the vote. “Our allies are guaranteeing our sovereignty. That’s exactly what alliances are about.”