Czech President Calls for Giving Ukraine Everything It Needs to Defeat Russia
Czech President Petr Pavel has said that if the West weakens its support for Ukraine, next year will be more favourable for Russia. He said this in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
"We have no choice but to give Ukraine everything it needs to fulfil its task of restoring sovereignty and control over its borders. Anything less would be our defeat," Pavel said.
He stressed that as president, he assesses the situation regarding the war in Ukraine not only from a military point of view, but also from the point of view of principles.
Pavel is convinced that Russia's victory would have strengthened the idea that other regimes can achieve their goals by force and that they can rely on the weakness of Western democracies.
The Czech president believes that the next year will be even more difficult for Ukraine, and the coming winter will be a significant challenge.
"It will be difficult for the population, and with the indecision of the countries that are now supporting Ukraine, the feeling of frustration will grow. And naturally, this creates a situation that is not very favourable for continuing counter-offensive operations," he says.
Petr Pavel is also confident that winter will give Russia, which has already switched its industry to war mode, time to recover. He recalled that the Russians are producing much more large-calibre ammunition, more tanks, recruiting more soldiers, and are negotiating with several countries for supplies.
"If we miss the opportunity to maintain our support for Ukraine, next year could be even more favourable for Moscow. This year is a key year to lay the foundations for success, next year will be more difficult," the Czech president said.
At the same time, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs believes that Moscow may indeed launch aggression against NATO's eastern flank in the future if it perceives the end of the war in Ukraine as a victory.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that he expects the Ukrainian Armed Forces to make progress in the fight against the Russian occupiers, but warned that "we must prepare for a long road ahead".
As The Gaze previously reported, the Czechs and Slovaks united and raised 400,000 euros in a week to buy a Black Hawk helicopter for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Black Hawk is an American tactical multi-purpose helicopter developed in the mid-70s by Sikorsky Aircraft, a company founded by world-famous Ukrainian aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky in the 1920s. In 1979, the first helicopters designed by a Ukrainian entered service with the US Army.