Czech President Pavel responds to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's outrage over territorial remarks

Czech President Petr Pavel has responded to criticism from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding his recent comments on the possibility of Russia retaining control over some Ukrainian territories after the war. Pavel stated that he did not say anything new and had previously warned against unrealistic expectations, according to ČTK.

Pavel stressed that he did not say "anything that hasn't been said before," and that he had already cautioned against unrealistic expectations a year ago.

In his view, expectations that the war will end with a quick and decisive victory for Ukraine within weeks or months could be dangerous for everyone. Therefore, this issue needs to be considered with a realistic assessment of possibilities, the Czech leader added.

"I have never questioned that we should support Ukraine in restoring its territorial integrity, that this is the ultimate goal. We just need to be realistic about the timeframe and the cost of achieving this goal... A victory over Russia in Ukraine at the cost of destroying half of the Ukrainian population is certainly not a victory," Pavel said.

On September 23, in an interview with The New York Times, Pavel stated that fatigue from the full-scale war is growing everywhere, and Ukraine needs to be realistic about the prospects of regaining territories occupied by Russia.

On September 25, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to his statement, emphasizing that the withdrawal of Russian occupation forces from Ukraine's sovereign territory within its internationally recognized borders is one of the mandatory points of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula.