President Petr Pavel welcomed Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen at the castle in Slavkov u Brna yesterday. After the meeting, Czech President Petr Pavel said the discussions covered the development of the war in Ukraine, the possibilities of peace negotiations, relations between Europe and the United States and the current situation in the EU.
As for U.S. support for Ukraine, Pavel said that all statements so far show that it has not been terminated, but paused, adding that he hopes it will resume.
The presidential meeting marked the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Slavkov. This was the first time that a summit of the Slavkov Format (S3), which the Czech Republic now chairs, was held at the level of heads of state. The arrival of the presidents was accompanied by national anthems, performed by musicians from the castle guard.
The Trump administration cut off military aid deliveries to Ukraine on Monday. The decision came in the wake of a dramatic breakdown in relations between the U.S. head of state and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during an altercation in the Oval Office on Friday. The U.S. has also suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
“I believe that both sides will be inclined to continue the negotiations, and thus to continue military aid to Ukraine,” Pavel said. Europe, he said, is able to make up for the shortfall in US aid to some extent and for some time, but not in the long term, because U.S. aid is substantial.
Pavel noted that, when Zelenskiy is asking his partners for security guarantees for Ukraine, he has direct experience with Russia like no other. “For Ukraine, security guarantees have clear military contours that will be an effective deterrent to continued Russian aggression after some sort of ceasefire is reached,” he said. The U.S. may view such guarantees very differently because each state is coming from a very different place, he said.
The war in Ukraine, geopolitical tensions and security threats require a smart defence and foreign policy, and Europe must be united, strong and confident, said Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. The political situation in the world is so unstable, he said, that it forces everyone to act.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said that every country’s priority is to ensure security, and the heads of state are aware of the need to increase European defence capabilities. However, he said, it is still necessary to talk about the European pillar within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). He said that without healthy and constructive relations with the United States, security cannot be 100% guaranteed.
According to Pavel, the S3 presidents had also discussed cross-border cooperation, interconnection of the countries through transport infrastructure, especially motorways and high-speed railways, and innovation. Cross-border assistance in crisis situations such as floods, tornadoes, pandemics or fires can significantly reduce the risk of damage or loss of life, he said.
