Newly elected president of Czech Republic: NATO should consider Ukraine's membership immediately after war

The newly elected president of the Czech Republic, ex-NATO general Petr Pavel believes that the Alliance should consider Ukraine's membership immediately after the end of the war on its territory. 

Source: Pavel in the interview with Suspilne public broadcast

Quote: "From the perspective of international law, as soon as Ukraine becomes a member of NATO, while still in conflict, the Alliance will become a party to that conflict. One can only imagine how large-scale the conflict between NATO and Russia will be then, most likely even with the use of nuclear weapons. So, we need to wait for the end of the war and the restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty, and then the question of membership in NATO will arise.

And at this stage, I would support such a decision because I believe that Ukraine deserves to be considered as a new member of NATO — for maintaining standards, and for protecting values that are important to all of us. And the Ukrainian military will probably be the most experienced of all and would be a great advantage for NATO countries. Therefore, there is every reason why we should consider Ukraine's membership in NATO immediately after the war."

Details: Recalling the Munich Security Conference, Pavel noted that most of the discussions there "were too optimistic" about the war in Ukraine.

"There was a certain disregard for possible negative effects. I agree, you need to have good hopes. But it is much better to think about potentially worse results. That's why I said: let's do everything so that Ukraine wins this year, but let's also be prepared for other possible results. One of them could be a long war. Some scenarios could be that Ukraine — not only the people but also the political leadership — will realise that the benefits of returning all the territory will come at too high a cost, for example in terms of human lives," he said.

At the same time, Pavel emphasised that he does not call for pushing Ukraine to make concessions.

"It is much easier to tell you: you must adhere to the principles to the last drop of blood. It sounds good, but it is not my blood, but yours. That is why I say, it is up to you. And on the other hand, we should not push Ukraine to make concessions while still, there are real chances of victory. That's why I say: let's support Ukraine by all means, but let's be realistic and leave the decision to the Ukrainians, regarding the conditions under which you are ready to start negotiations," he explained his position.

Commenting on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace plan, which provides for the full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, Pavel expressed the opinion that Zelenskyy "has no other choice".

"Can you imagine a leader of a country that was subjected to aggression and who would say: 'Okay, let's accept the loss of territory.' when it suddenly turns out that the reality is different from what we would like, maybe there will be some corrections. But they can be made only by the Ukrainian people and your leader, not us," he said.

Background: On 18 February, at the Munich Security Conference, Pavel warned against such a victory for Ukraine, which would destroy the Russian Federation.

This statement provoked a response from Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and several European leaders, who responded to the Czech colleague's insinuations about Ukraine's concessions in the war.

Thereafter, Pavel explained that he still considered Ukraine's victory in the war realistic. 

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