NATO state’s leader suggests path to peace for Ukraine

Czech President Petr Pavel says the West should continue its support for Kiev to convince Russia it cannot succeed militarily

The West can put an end to the Ukraine conflict by giving Kiev all the weapons it needs, Czech President Petr Pavel has argued, claiming that this will convince Russia that it cannot make further progress on the battlefield.

Back in May, Pavel – who previously served as chairman of NATO’s Military Committee – told Sky News that “it would be naive to say that Ukraine can fully restore the control over the territories in the foreseeable future. Russia will not give up the territory it is occupying now.” The Czech president also predicted that “there might be some kind of a compromise” during future peace negotiations, and that ending the conflict could pave the way for “talk about the potential membership of Ukraine” in NATO.

On Friday, the Seznam Zpravy news outlet quoted Pavel as saying Russia has more resources than Ukraine, so no quick breakthroughs on the frontline are likely, despite Western support. The Czech head of state, however, insisted that such efforts should continue – providing Kiev with all the weaponry it needs, to make Russia realise it cannot make further gains, and start negotiating.

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Pavel also stressed that in any such talks, the West should not recognize the territories held by Moscow’s forces as Russian, but label them as temporarily occupied. He reiterated his skepticism over Ukraine’s ability to retake parts of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, as well as Crimea, in the foreseeable future.

Following his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in favor of a “complete and final end of the conflict,” as opposed to a “ceasefire or some kind of pause that the Kiev regime could use to recover losses, regroup, and rearm.” He insisted that the hostilities can only end if Ukraine fulfills a number of Russia’s demands – including the withdrawal of Kiev’s troops from the whole of Donbass, as well as Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions.

Previously, Putin also named legally binding guarantees that Kiev will not seek NATO membership as being among Moscow’s conditions. Kiev, along with its Western backers, have rejected the proposal, calling it an unacceptable ultimatum.

Similarly, Moscow previously described Vladimir Zelensky’s ‘peace formula’ as an ultimatum divorced from the reality.