Czech president clarifies remarks about "exchanging Ukrainian territories for peace" in response to Kyiv's outrage

Czech President Petr Pavel has responded to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s outrage at his suggestion that Russia could retain temporary control over some Ukrainian territories after the war is over.

Source: Petr Pavel talking to journalists in New York on Tuesday, 24 September, as reported by European Pravda, citing ČTK, a national public service news agency in Czechia

Details: Noting that he did not say anything that he had not been saying for a long time, Pavel reminded the journalists that he had "warned against unrealistic expectations" at last year's Munich conference.

Pavel believes that hoping the war will end in a few weeks or months with Ukraine's unequivocal success could prove very dangerous for everyone. That is why, he added, this issue should be considered in the light of what is actually possible.

Quote from Pavel: "I have never questioned that we should support Ukraine in restoring its territorial integrity, that this is the ultimate goal. We just have to be realistic about the time horizon and the cost of achieving that goal. Defeating Russia in Ukraine at the cost of killing half the Ukrainian population is probably not a victory."

Background: 

• Pavel reiterated in an interview with The New York Times yesterday that Ukraine should accept the possibility that some of its territory may be "temporarily" under Russian control after the war is over.
• Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry subsequently issued a statement rejecting the possibility of temporarily leaving part of Ukrainian territory under occupation and similar "half-hearted solutions".

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