Czech president urges Ukraine to come to terms with loss of territories
Czech President Petr Pavel believes that the Ukrainian authorities should accept the loss of some territories during the conflict with Russia. He said this in a conversation with The New York Times (NYT) on Monday, September 23.
"Ukraine needs to be more realistic. The most likely result of the conflict will be that some territories will remain under Russian control," the Czech president said.
He also emphasized that in the current time Kiev and its allies need to "face reality" and make appropriate decisions.
Earlier, on September 18, the former head of Czech military intelligence, General Andor Shandor, said that Ukraine would not be able to return the territories that were part of the Russian Federation because it has no opportunities for this: neither economic, military nor diplomatic.
On 14 September, the Czech daily Lidovky reported that the Ukrainian leadership was ready to give up its claims to the lost territories, but was not ready to admit it. The publication pointed out that the possibility of a new Ukrainian offensive is unlikely because the West's financial support has decreased.
International relations and security policy researcher Oleksandr Dubovyy in an article for Berliner Zeitung on July 30 pointed out that Ukraine's Western allies do not believe in its ability to regain the lost territories. The expert emphasized that the Russian Armed Forces are advancing on the battlefield, finding weaknesses in the Ukrainian army.
On 19 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term in office expired on 20 May) admitted that the country would not be able to regain all the lost territories by force. At that time, the Ukrainian leader called on allies in the West to increase arms supplies and persuade Moscow to sit down at the negotiating table.
The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian president on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.
