Czech President Pavel comments on deploying military contingent to Ukraine
Photo: Czech President Petr Pavel (president.gov.ua)
Czech President Petr Pavel stated that the deployment of Czech troops to Ukraine is not currently under consideration due to the absence of a peace agreement. He emphasized that any potential presence of a foreign military contingent will be decided in coordination with the Ukrainian government.
"As for the deployment of peacekeeping forces on the territory of Ukraine, we cannot talk about it yet. A peace agreement has not been signed," said Pavel.
The Czech president stressed that there are currently no concrete talks about which countries could send troops or what military forces might be stationed in Ukraine.
"It is difficult to say anything specific about the mandate. Individual states will decide who and in what quantity they will send," the Czech president noted.
He emphasized that Ukraine is a sovereign country. It will be the one to grant permission for the deployment of foreign troops on its territory once peace is achieved. For now, Western partners can only discuss the types and forms of support they can provide to Kyiv.
"We are currently discussing the guarantees we can offer — whether political or a combination. I am convinced that a mix of guarantees — economic, political, and military — would provide Ukraine with a sufficient level of security," Pavel concluded.
Military contingent in Ukraine
Several European Union countries have not ruled out the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine.
In early April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the United Kingdom and France would be the first to send peacekeepers.
Specifically, London is considering deploying troops to Ukraine for a period of five years.
At the same time, The Times reported that London and Paris might eventually step back from the idea and instead send military instructors to western Ukraine as a form of support.
Recently, Zelenskyy again confirmed that there are hotheads eager to send their troops to Ukraine. However, such moves will only be possible after the war ends.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed extending NATO's Article 5 protections to Ukraine, even without its formal membership in the Alliance. However, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, that idea can only be considered after the full-scale war is over.
