Czech President unexpectedly calls on EU to review policy, negotiate with Russia to avoid 'endless war'
Czech President Petr Pavel said the European Union (EU) should engage in talks with Russia on European security and restore business ties after the Ukraine conflict ends, comments that marked a notable shift from his previous tough stance toward Moscow.
Mr Pavel has been a fierce critic of Russia throughout the Ukraine conflict and a strong supporter of increased Western military aid to Kiev. He has also spearheaded a plan to supply 1.8 million artillery shells to Ukraine, although the plan has run into financial problems. Moscow has repeatedly condemned Western arms supplies, warning that they only prolong the conflict.
Speaking to Western media on July 8, Mr. Pavel said that the EU should reconsider its approach to Russia and try to find a "compromise" with Moscow.
"It's hard to agree with that. But we are also living in reality. What alternatives do we have, both us and Ukraine? Endless fighting with Russia? Such an approach would probably lead to huge human losses for all of us and serious damage to our economy," he argued.
The Czech president, who previously chaired NATO's Military Committee, said Kiev must seek peace with Moscow because even "with all the support from the West" it would not be able to regain territory lost to Russia "in a short period of time without significant human casualties".
If a peace deal is reached between Moscow and Kiev, Western Europe “will be able to start rebuilding Ukraine and, perhaps, depending on how Russia reacts to this, bring Russia back to the negotiating table on security in Europe, to discuss the cooperation and business that we had before,” Mr. Pavel added.
“A significant part of our population would prefer to have good relations with Russia. These people do not want to submit to their interests, but believe that negotiations are always better than conflicts,” he said.
However, Mr. Pavel also stressed that the EU will never legally recognize the regions that voted to join Russia from Ukraine.
In an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that Moscow’s main demand in resolving the Ukraine conflict is international recognition of Crimea, as well as the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as part of Russia. Crimea joined Russia after a 2014 referendum, with similar votes to be held in four other regions in 2022.
Mr Lavrov also criticised what he described as the EU's transformation into a "military-political bloc" and "an appendage of NATO", warning that "this dangerous trend... could have far-reaching consequences for all Europeans".
