Czechia ready to take part in Ukraine peace mission, president confirms
Photo: Czech President Petr Pavel (president.gov.ua)
If international peacekeeping forces are deployed in Ukraine, Czechia could become part of them, according to Czech President Petr Pavel, reports České noviny.
Pavel noted that if peacekeeping forces are deployed in Ukraine, Czechia can and should be part of them, as it is an active participant in the peace process and has supported the country under attack from the very beginning of the Russian invasion.
“There is also the idea that along the line of contact, regardless of the agreement reached, a certain demilitarized zone could be established. Such a zone would be subject not only to technical but also to physical monitoring. Likely, there would also be some deployment of international forces,” the president said.
Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová said recently that nothing of this kind is currently being considered for Czechia.
She noted that if Czech troops were to operate in Ukraine after a ceasefire is concluded, it could be similar to the situation after the military conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
According to her, Czech troops would not be on the front line of a military conflict.
“I cannot imagine what the outcome would be, because until recently, the Russian side refused the deployment of any foreign forces on Ukrainian territory. And now, perhaps, there will be some change in position,” Pavel said.
According to Ministry of Defense spokesperson David Sima, if the Czech army were involved, it could, for example, provide training for Ukrainian troops or assist in demining.
Coalition of the Willing
Leaders from 30 countries joined together to form the Coalition of the Willing to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
Last week, ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the US, the coalition announced readiness to deploy deterrent forces on Ukrainian territory.
After the meeting at the White House between European officials and US President Donald Trump, about 10 countries expressed readiness to send their troops to Ukraine.
Negotiations about sending troops to Ukraine are expected to take place in the coming days. They will involve the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO and the defense ministers of Alliance member states.
RBC-Ukraine has already reported on whether Poland, in particular, will send its soldiers to Ukraine.
