Czech President Petr Pavel suggests that Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek to achieve at least partial goals after his expected re-election - full control over the occupied territories, especially Donbas, UNN reports with reference to Radio Prague International.
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The Czech president believes that "the conflict in Ukraine will not end quickly, as neither Russia nor Ukraine is able to achieve the goal.
"It is logical that Ukraine seeks to regain full control over its territory within internationally recognized borders, which, in principle, should be supported," Pavel said in a program on Nova TV channel.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin, after his expected re-election as head of state, will seek to achieve at least partial goals - full control over the occupied regions, especially over Donbas," the Czech president suggested.
In his opinion, the newspaper points out, "mutual fatigue with the conflict is likely to lead to negotiations.
Pavel is not currently concerned about the possibility of the Ukrainian conflict spreading to NATO member states. "At the moment, Russia is so weakened by the war against Ukraine that it will not risk any conflict with NATO countries. However, this cannot be ruled out in the future, especially if Russia achieves any significant success in Ukraine," the Czech president said.
At the same time, Pavel criticized the insufficient material assistance provided by Western countries to the Ukrainian army in previous years, as well as the level of their investment in their own defense capabilities.
Pavel also said that had granted 20 Czech citizens permission to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Another 56 applications were rejected based on recommendations from the ministries of defense and interior, he said. The predecessor of the current Czech president, Milos Zeman, issued 132 permits to join the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic since February 24, 2022.
Україна та Чехія обговорили оборонну співпрацю та спільне виробництво озброєнь17.02.24, 22:33