Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Stephen Saker.

Today I'm in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, one of the frontline states playing a pivotal

role in the West's effort to support Ukraine in its attempt to repel Vladimir Putin's military

assault. My guest is Slovakia's Prime Minister,

Edward Heger, who's only been in power for a year

and now faces a crisis which promises to reshape

the geopolitics of Europe for generations to come.

Slovakia is currently hosting tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees,

its funneling NATO weapon supplies to the Kiev government, and it is a key player in a heated European debate about when and how to end

the importation of oil and gas from Russia, which is, of course, a crucial source of revenue for the Kremlin.

As the conflict intensifies, so does the bellicose rhetoric. Moscow now claims NATO is fighting

a proxy war aimed at destroying Russian civilization. Western leaders, led by the Biden

administration, are adamant that Putin's aggression must be seen to

fail and that Russia should be weakened in a way that would preclude it from mounting similar

invasions in the future. So does this mean escalation of the conflict is inevitable? And what will

that mean for a frontline European nation like Slovakia? Well, Prime Minister

Edward Heger joins me now. Welcome to Hard Talk. Thank you very much for the invitation.

Here we are in Bratislava. Slovakia is on the front lines of this Ukraine war. You share a land border.

You have taken tens of thousands of refugees. You are

funneling arms into Ukraine for the Kiev government. Do you feel that as this war continues,

week by week, month by month, the danger for your country increases?

Actually, I think it's decreasing because of the bravery of the Ukrainian people

...