Czech President Petr Pavel reaffirmed the Czech Republic’s strong support for Ukraine at a meeting in Kyiv today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, he said that after three years of unprovoked Russian aggression, we are now witnessing turbulent developments, but the Czech Republic continues to stand very firmly by Ukraine’s side.
According to the Czech President, any ceasefire must be a step towards sustainable peace, and its terms must be acceptable to all, especially the Ukrainians.
Pavel said the Czech Republic considers Ukraine part of the European family and supports its accession to the European Union. At the same time, Ukraine’s future membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) cannot be questioned, he added.
Zelenskiy said he had no doubt that the Czech Republic would be a strong player in the new security system for Ukraine. He also told the press conference that Ukraine is determined to preserve its own sovereignty, and the Czech Republic has consistently supported this.
Zelenskiy added that any diplomatic efforts would only be solid if they take into account the cause of the war, which is President Vladimir Putin and his regime. For more than a week, the proposal for a complete ceasefire has been on the table, but Putin doesn’t see it, he said, referencing recent U.S. efforts to negotiate a 30-day ceasefire. The negotiations are due to resume in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
“We hear a lot about the ceasefire and frankly it seems close, but I’m sure no one wants to stop the killing more than the Ukrainians themselves,” said Pavel. “But any ceasefire must be a step towards sustainable peace. The terms of such a peace must be acceptable to all, and the Ukrainians need to agree to them.”
He said it was the collective responsibility of Ukraine’s allies to provide guarantees that Russia will not attack again, adding that the Czech Republic will contribute its share to this, and discussions are now underway on how to join the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’.
The Czech Republic wants to continue its support for Ukraine by increasing military production, but also through humanitarian efforts and supporting the future reconstruction of the country.
On Thursday, Pavel visited the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa, where Russia launched a large-scale drone attack in the evening. “We left the place about 20 minutes before the strong explosions started,” said the president, according to Ukrainian media.
To carry out such massive attacks, and on civilian targets, at a time when negotiations on a ceasefire and a possible peace deal are about to begin is a signal that the Russian side is not taking a serious approach to the negotiations, Pavel told reporters in Kyiv today.
In Odessa, Pavel held talks with representatives of several regions as well as with Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba. After travelling by train to Kyiv, he visited the Okhmatdyt hospital, which was attacked by Moscow last July.
According to Pavel, Russia is ignoring international law and is essentially committing war crimes by attacking not only medical facilities but also ambulances. “From what I have had the opportunity to hear, and what is finally documented and handed over to The Hague (where the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are based), there have been hundreds of such cases,” he said.
Before the meeting, he and Zelenskiy visited the village of Moshchun in the Kyiv region, where the two presidents paid tribute to fighters killed in action.
Pavel is accompanied in Ukraine by the Czech government’s commissioner for the reconstruction of Ukraine, Tomas Kopecny, and the Ukrainian ambassador in Prague, Vasyl Zvarych.
Pavel visited Ukraine in April 2023, shortly after his inauguration, together with Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, holding talks with Zelenskiy and visiting the eastern city of DniproZelenskiy paid an official visit to Prague in July 2023.
