In order to reach an agreement to end the war, Ukraine will probably have to give up territory, even if that would violate international law, said Czech President Petr Pavel in an interview published by the CTK news agency on Thursday.
“The surrender of territory would reflect the situation on the battlefield and represent the lesser evil, as opposed to continuing the war, which would result in numerous new casualties and material losses,” said the Czech leader.
He also acknowledged this may only end up being a temporary agreement.
“If peacekeeping forces were to be deployed to Ukraine under such a “temporary” agreement, the Czech Republic should also participate, because it has been an active participant in the peace process from the beginning,” he added.
“This would be more or less an acknowledgement of reality, because Russia has some regions firmly under its control. If we recognize that they are temporarily occupied, then we should call them that, and not Russian territories,” Pavel added.
According to the Czech president, any agreement regarding possible territorial changes is solely the right of Ukraine and Russia.
“I don’t dare to give an opinion on what the agreement on the territories should look like, this is really only a matter for Ukraine and Russia. It would not be good to give advice on what to hand over and what to leave. This is clearly outside our jurisdiction and competence,” the president explained.
Pavel believes that Western sanctions against Russia should have been more decisive and stronger from the beginning, which would have helped Ukraine defend itself more effectively, reducing human and material losses.
“However, several countries were clearly afraid of a possible escalation of the conflict,” he noted. According to him, if Ukraine had received more effective and greater assistance earlier, it is possible that the situation on the battlefield would look different today.
According to Pavel, the Czech Republic’s possible participation in peacekeeping depends on the form of the future agreement.
Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochová previously ruled out sending Czech soldiers to Ukraine. The head of state called it positive that negotiations between the West and Ukraine on security guarantees for the latter have begun.
“Now, we must do everything we can to ensure that the negotiations continue. We must act constructively, willing to compromise, but firmly. We must not allow a situation to develop in the end in which the aggressor is rewarded while the victim is punished,” the Czech president underlined.
