Czech President warns of no complete victory in Russian-Ukrainian war

Czech President Petr Pavel believes that the West should prepare for the fact that there will not be a complete victory in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

He spoke about this in an interview. The Guardian during a trip to London for the coronation of Charles III, reports “European truth“.

“I think we should do everything in our power to encourage Ukrainians and support them to be successful. But internally, we also need to be prepared for other unpredictable situations,” Pavel said.

According to him, there is an understanding in Kiev that one should not “underestimate the Russians, because they have enough manpower, they still have enough equipment, even if it is older, perhaps in smaller numbers, but still, they have a large the number of artillery pieces, they have a lot of ammunition.”

“They are not so incapable in terms of defense,” Pavel said. “And, of course, being on the defensive makes it easier for them, because Ukraine would suffer terrible losses even if they were well prepared. Therefore, it will be difficult to attack an enemy like Russia, and the Russians will not be able to be surprised a second time” – he noted.

The Czech president said Zelenskiy’s main demand during their meeting on April 28 was ammunition amid preparations for a counteroffensive.

EU member states this week agreed to supply Ukraine with munitions from outside the union, including from the UK and the US, despite initial objections from France, a decision he said would increase opportunities to help Ukraine during next weeks and months.

Europe does not have the capacity to produce the weapons Ukraine needs, but it can buy them, and Zelenskiy said he would provide skilled technicians for new ammunition factories if the EU defense industry can’t do the job.

Pavel believes that the EU should supply ammunition to Ukraine from all over the world, including countries that may not want to admit their involvement in the conflict with Russia, or with which European capitals may experience some diplomatic discomfort in relations. “There are ways we can do this,” he said.

Czech President Petr Pavel also privately warned the Ukrainian leadership from the catastrophe of a hasty counteroffensive.