Czech president says he narrowly missed Russian attack on Odesa

Czech President Petr Pavel has said he left Odesa just 20 minutes before the first explosions from the Russian attack on the city. He had been visiting Odesa on 20 March.

Source: Pavel during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Pavel emphasised that it was a coincidence, as his visit had been scheduled according to a planned time frame.

"We had left Odesa by train about 20 minutes before the first explosions were heard... What I take out of it is that one has to be truly cynical when declaring the will to have a peace negotiation or negotiations on a ceasefire and at the same time to launch a massive attack on civilian infrastructure," Pavel said.

He noted that given such attacks, "It's extremely difficult to deal with such a party".

"That's why I believe that we have to clearly point to these events to demonstrate how Russia approaches these talks. And we have to be cautious about any potential agreement," he concluded.

Background: 

• Pavel visited Odesa on the day when Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on the city.
• The Czech president later remarked that such large-scale attacks, occurring as negotiations for a ceasefire and a potential peace agreement are starting, do not suggest that Moscow is serious about pursuing peace.
• Earlier, Katarína Mathernová, the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, condemned the Russian strikes, stating that they demonstrated what the peace promised by the Kremlin truly looks like.

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