In Ukraine, we are restraining Russian imperial expansion, which is cutting its teeth in Central Europe - Czech Foreign Minister
Kyiv • UNN
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky emphasized the need to keep Russia away from Europe's borders while supporting Ukraine to ensure regional security. He highlighted this as a key policy goal, mentioning potential challenges to EU consensus.
Our main task is to keep Russia as far away from our borders as possible. This is what our policy should be aimed at. This was stated by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky in an interview with the Czech news agency ČTK , UNN reports.
"We have to realize that in Ukraine we are restraining Russian imperial expansion, which is cutting its teeth in the region of Central Europe, the Baltic States," Lipavsky said. As a result, Finland has joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and Sweden is close to membership. According to him, assistance to Ukraine - military, humanitarian, financial, political or moral - is also in favor of European security. "If Ukraine falls, we will face Russia a little closer - literally on the borders of the European Union, very close to the Czech Republic, and we must not allow this to happen," he added.
According to Lipavsky, the war fatigue, which is often discussed, manifests itself in different ways. "However, if we get tired of our own security, we will lose both freedom and sovereignty," the minister said. He also believes it is important to explain to the public the support for Ukraine.
According to Lipavsky, the recent European Council meeting showed that European states are capable of reaching agreements. "Although we have seen Hungary blocking some things for a long time, it still blocks some things," he said. Due to Hungary's veto, the EU summit did not agree on a revision of the EU's long-term budget for 2021-2027, which would take into account the need for long-term support for Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression and other current needs.
"I regularly tell everyone in Europe that our main task is to keep Russia as far away from our borders as possible. This is what our policy should be aimed at. The debate is not easy, but we see that European countries are able to reach an agreement in the end," Lipavsky said.
He believes that the final agreement will be found at the extraordinary summit on February 1. "I understand when some EU member states so-called constructively abstain, for example, we have seen this repeatedly with the financing of military aid. It is not only Hungary, but also countries that have a policy of neutrality, such as Austria or Ireland. They are doing so in a way that will not interfere with other countries' efforts to strengthen Ukraine's security and increase Ukraine's chances of defending itself against Russian pressure," the Czech Foreign Minister added.
