NATO troops can carry out support activities directly on the territory of Ukraine, as this does not violate any international rules, Czech President Petr Pavel said in an interview with Czech TV, UNN reports with reference to Euractiv.
Details
According to the Czech president, a clear distinction should be made between the deployment of combat troops and the possible involvement of the military in some "support" activities in which NATO already has experience.
"It should be remembered that after the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of a part of Donbas, which was in fact an aggression, although on a much smaller scale than today, a NATO training mission was operating on Ukrainian territory, which at one time included more than 15 countries and consisted of about 1000 people," Pavel reminded.
He also emphasized that "from the point of view of international law and the UN Charter, there would be nothing to prevent NATO troops - as well as civilians, for example - from assisting in Ukraine."
When asked whether he supported the participation of NATO troops in direct support of Ukraine on its territory, Pavel did not say no.
"I would certainly not refuse to debate this issue. If we could agree with our allies that, for example, instead of training Ukrainian soldiers on the territory of NATO member states and transporting thousands of soldiers to, say, Poland or the Czech Republic, it would be much more reasonable to transport a few dozen instructors to Ukrainian territory and train Ukrainian soldiers there," he said.
He also recalled that after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Moscow declared that anyone who provides Ukraine with any assistance will be a legitimate target.
Кемерон виступив проти відправки військ в Україну навіть для навчань09.03.24, 20:16
"Today, we are not only supplying Ukraine with small arms, we are supplying it with tanks, we may soon supply it with aircraft, we are supplying it with medium-range cruise missiles, and yet there has not been a single attack on NATO territory. Russia is well aware that this would be a violation of the law on a much larger scale than what it is doing now," the Czech president said.
According to Pavel, Western allies must have the courage to defend their activities legally, "because helping to train and maintain equipment in a sovereign country is not combat," he explained.
Recall
Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron saidthat although there are no plans to send Western troops to Ukraine, it cannot be ruled out in order to prevent Russia from winning the war.