“I believe that if these violations continue, there will come a point where we will have to take more decisive measures, including potentially shooting down Russian aircraft or drones,” the president said.
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What reasons does NATO have to put up stronger resistance to Russia?
What did the Czech president say about airspace violations?
How did the Czech president assess the peace negotiations in Ukraine?
What will be Europe's future approach to relations with Russia?
As he noted, “Russia would not allow repeated violations of its airspace. And we must do the same.”
In an interview, Pavel compared the negotiations for peace in Ukraine conducted in November between the US and Russia to the Munich Agreement of 1938, which led to the annexation of part of the territories of Czechoslovakia to the Third Reich. This agreement was concluded in the absence of Prague at the negotiating table. “If we allow Russia to emerge victorious from this conflict, we will all lose,” said the Czech president.
Petr Pavel on the role of the US in NATO
Commenting on the US National Security Strategy published on Friday, Pavel said that Europeans must consider how they themselves should prepare to fight and win the war if necessary.
“We should not in any way weaken NATO's strength, but if the United States is preoccupied elsewhere, for example in the Asia-Pacific region, and does not have enough will or resources to support European allies with all strategic instruments such as intelligence, transport, communications, logistics and others, I think we in Europe should be able to do it ourselves,” Pavel said. He proposed strengthening the “European pillar” of NATO through, among others, division of responsibilities in command positions.
Looking ahead, the Czech president announced that Europe will have to negotiate a new security agreement with Russia. “If we are to think about any future relations with Russia, (talks on this topic) can only begin after the conclusion of the peace agreement, during a process that will lead to the creation of a new security agreement in Europe,” Pavel said.
According to the Czech president, Russia currently poses an immediate threat, but China is the long-term challenge. “I think there is no doubt that China is a systemic rival of all of us. (…) They do not hide the fact that their goal is to be a global hegemon. They are doing everything to achieve this goal, not only to become an economic superpower, but also a military one,” Pavel noted.
