Czechia open to sending troops to Ukraine
Photo: Petr Pavel, President of Czechia (Getty Images)
Czechia may send its soldiers to Ukraine if European nations agree to establish a corresponding military contingent, stated Czech President Petr Pavel at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to him, the "coalition of the willing" consists of countries that are ready to act rather than just talk. He noted that a meeting of top military commanders took place in London the previous day, where they discussed the modalities of a potential military presence in Ukraine.
Pavel emphasized that Czechia was ready to be part of these discussions. If a final decision were made to create such forces, he believed that his country would participate.
However, he also acknowledged that making a decision on a military contingent before negotiations had even begun would be very difficult.
He explained that an agreement on military presence would need to come first, followed by discussions on the mission's mandate, structure, and composition. Estimates of troop numbers ranged from 10,000 to 20,000, and he expected further discussions on how to deploy such a force effectively. He also believes that there will be discussions on the role of each country to make this contingent effective.
Possibility of sending European troops
European countries are currently discussing one of the options for security guarantees for Ukraine. It involves sending European soldiers to Ukraine to deter Russia from a possible repeat attack.
Polish Chief of the General Staff Wiesław Kukuła recently said that countries are discussing many scenarios of sending a contingent.
