The Czech Minister of Defense, Jana Černochová, stated that the country may consider sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine if it does not pose a threat to the lives of Czech soldiers. She made this announcement to reporters after a ceremony honoring the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Conditions for Czech Participation in the Peacekeeping Mission
Jana Černochová emphasized that Prague is willing to join a peacekeeping mission only as part of joint European efforts and only after peace is established in Ukraine. She stressed that currently, no one intends to send troops, as this could lead to an escalation of the war. At the same time, the minister explained that the issue could be discussed in the Czech Parliament if a sustainable ceasefire is achieved and security guarantees for the military are provided.
“Of course, at this moment, none of us wants to send soldiers to Ukraine, as this would mean an escalation of the conflict. But there are member states, and the Czech Republic is one of them, that say when a ceasefire is established, when a ceasefire is established through some agreement, in such a way that there is confidence that… the situation there will really be resolved without any shots and without any risk to the lives of our soldiers – at that point, we will be ready to properly discuss these mandates in our legislative body,” said Černochová.
Security Guarantees for Ukraine: Czech Perspectives
The Minister of Defense also noted that at this moment, there is no official request to send Czech troops to Ukraine, so she considers such a discussion premature. She is skeptical about the possibility of effective security guarantees for Ukraine, given the failure to fulfill previous international agreements, such as the Budapest Memorandum and the Minsk Agreements. In her opinion, Ukraine’s membership in NATO and the European Union would be the best security guarantee, but this depends on the support of all member countries of the alliances.
Jana Černochová remarked that “Donald Trump has currently said a clear ‘no’, but I still believe and do not lose hope that over time we can move towards this step.”
The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, previously expressed the opinion that the country could become part of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if such an initiative is realized. He emphasized that the Czech Republic has been actively involved in supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation.
The issue of security guarantees for Kyiv remains central in negotiations to end the war. It has gained particular relevance following recent meetings between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders in Washington. According to media reports, the United Kingdom is proposing to deploy Typhoon fighters and a brigade of troops in western Ukraine to train the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while France, Canada, and Australia are considering joining these efforts.