“They will be under occupation”: Czech leader makes statement on the end of the war in Ukraine
23 September 2024 22:09
Czech President Petr Pavel believes that Ukraine should be realistic about its goals and come to terms with the Russian occupation. This was written by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to The New York Times.
The Czech leader believes that in a situation where Russian-friendly heads of state (such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban) are “undermining European unity on the war” and fatigue from 19 months of conflict is growing, Ukraine should be realistic about its prospects for returning the occupied territories.
“The most likely outcome of the war will be that part of the Ukrainian territory will be temporarily under Russian occupation. But this temporary occupation could last for years,” Pavel said.
According to the Czech president, neither Ukraine nor Russia can expect to achieve their maximalist goals. For Ukraine, it is the return of all its territory, including Crimea. For Russia, it is a demand that Ukraine officially hand over the lands claimed by Moscow, including four regions that are only partially controlled by Russian troops.
“Talking about Ukraine’s defeat or Russia’s defeat is simply not going to happen. Therefore, the end will be somewhere in the middle,” added Pavel.
It should be noted that after the failure of last year’s months-long counter-offensive by Ukraine to regain territory, European officials are increasingly talking privately about Ukraine’s slim chances of regaining the lost territories. In public, however, they mostly reiterate that the shape of any future settlement with Russia should be determined by Kyiv, not the European Union or NATO.
