Czech President Petr Pavel, during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, stated that Ukraine may be forced to make difficult concessions to achieve peace. He noted that the Ukrainian side has already made a significant contribution to preparing drafts of a peace agreement, but it will likely have to consider complex compromises as well.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Czech Position on Peace Negotiations
Petr Pavel emphasized that the Czech Republic will make every effort to ensure that the work on peace documents is not in vain. According to him, Russia currently rejects any peace agreements, and to make progress, it is necessary to jointly pressure it both economically and politically.
“We discussed the content of the documents (peace agreement drafts – ed.) with the president. I believe that Ukraine has done a lot to make the solution acceptable. I think there are also a number of painful concessions that Ukraine has to make and is willing to make, provided that it leads to peace,” he said at the joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Pavel stressed that only consolidated pressure from the international community can force Russia to come to the negotiating table and consider the prepared documents.
The Role of Europe and Support for Ukraine
The Czech President also noted that Europe must take greater responsibility for security on the continent. He emphasized that resolving the issue of the war in Ukraine is currently impossible without the participation of the United States, but this does not mean that European countries should remain on the sidelines. Pavel called for Europe to be more independent in addressing security issues and stressed the need to take responsibility for the future of the region.
Earlier, in March 2025, Petr Pavel had already stated that during negotiations, Ukraine would likely be forced to agree to certain compromises, including possible territorial concessions.
This marks the third visit of the Czech President to Ukraine. On the first day of his current trip, January 15, Pavel visited Lviv, and during previous visits, he also traveled to Kyiv, Dnipro, and Odesa, where he held talks with Ukrainian leadership.
Pavel’s arrival in Ukraine came less than a week after the visit of Czech Foreign Minister Petr Mačínka, who confirmed the continuation of ammunition supplies to Ukraine under a Czech initiative. At the same time, the Czech Republic does not plan to finance these supplies from the state budget, and the new government of the country has taken a more restrained position regarding support for Ukraine compared to the previous cabinet.