The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, a former high-ranking NATO general who is one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine in the war with Russia, believes that Ukrainians and their supporters should temporarily accept the Russian occupation of part of the country.
Points of attention
- President Petr Pavel suggests Ukrainians should accept the temporary Russian occupation of parts of Ukraine due to the challenges in achieving a full resolution of the conflict.
- Pavel emphasizes the importance of realism and compromise in shaping the future of Ukraine and Russia, as maximalist goals may not be attainable.
- The Czech president's statements align with the center-right government's stance and highlight the influence of his military background on security issues.
- European officials are increasingly doubtful about Ukraine regaining its lost territories, raising questions about the country's prospects in recovering occupied lands.
- President Zelenskyy's call for more international support and the upcoming Second Peace Summit in November indicate ongoing efforts to seek a resolution to the conflict with Russia.
Pyotr Pavel called Ukrainians to realism
With Russia-friendly populist leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán undermining European unity over war and fatigue from 19 months of conflict "growing everywhere", Ukraine "will need to be realistic" about its prospects returning the territories occupied by Russia, Pavel said in an interview.
The most likely outcome of the war (Russia against Ukraine — ed.) will be that part of the Ukrainian territory will temporarily be under Russian occupation.
Peter Pavel
President of the Czech Republic
But, he added, this "temporary thing" could last for years.
The position of the Czech president is largely ceremonial, but the views of Pavel, who was elected by a landslide last year, are broadly in line with those of the country's centre-right government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala. Mr. Pavel has significant influence on security issues as former Chief of General Staff of the Czech Army and former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
After last year's failure of Ukraine's months-long counteroffensive to regain territory, European officials are increasingly speaking privately about Ukraine's slim chances of regaining much of its lost land. In public, they mostly recite the mantra that the form of any future settlement with Russia is decided by Kyiv, not by the European Union or NATO.
The question of Ukraine's future will be a major topic at the UN General Assembly in New York this week, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will call for more military and political support during his speech there on September 25. He will also present a "victory plan" to President Biden in Washington on September 26 before releasing it publicly.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia, Pavel said, can count on securing their maximalist goals. For Ukraine, this includes the return of all territory, including Crimea, captured by Moscow in 2014. For Russia, this is a demand that Ukraine officially cede lands claimed by Moscow, including four regions that are only partially controlled by Russian forces.
Talking about the defeat of Ukraine or the defeat of Russia, this simply will not happen, so the end will be somewhere in the middle, Pavel believes
Zelensky, who ruled out direct negotiations with Russia, softened his position in the summer, suggesting that direct negotiations could begin in November. But he does not back down from the demands that Russia leave the entire territory of Ukraine.
The second peace summit will be held in November — Zelensky
Zelensky plans to hold the Second Peace Summit in November. It is planned to invite Russia to the event.
According to the head of state, the second Peace Summit in 2024 is a very real goal that he and his team can achieve.
We need a second Peace Summit this year. This means maximum involvement of the world in the implementation of the Peace Formula. And the maximum strengthening of our positions to make a just process of peace restoration a reality.
