Czech President: Ukraine must accept temporary Russian control over certain territories
Ukraine needs to come to terms with the fact that some territories may remain under Russian control, even if it is temporary, stated Czech President Petr Pavel, according to The New York Times.
President Pavel stated that it is time for Ukrainians and their supporters to face reality. He believes that as pro-Russian countries undermine European unity regarding the war, Ukraine must "be realistic" about its prospects for recovering occupied territories.
“The most probable outcome of the war will be that a part of Ukrainian territory will be under Russian occupation, temporarily,” Pavel said, adding that this temporary situation could last for years.
Support for Ukraine from Czechia
Earlier this year, Pavel announced that Prague had found hundreds of thousands of shells for Ukraine, but the project requires funding. Subsequently, several Western countries joined the initiative.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala also reported that Ukraine will receive approximately 500,000 additional munitions by the end of 2024 as part of this initiative.
Moreover, the Czech Ministry of Defense plans to launch a new initiative this year to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine, involving Czech manufacturers.