Europe is only at the beginning of a longer confrontation with Russia, Czech President Petr Pavel cautioned on Saturday.
He made the remarks during an interview for the Austrian daily Die Presse. According to him, Russia will harm Europe and is not content with conquering only part of Ukraine.
“They want to regain the imperial greatness of the Soviet Union, including its sphere of influence, and they are talking about it very openly. So we should take this seriously. We need to prepare for the fact that Russia will not be a peaceful partner,” stressed Pavel, who is a retired general and in the past was chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
He also added that if Russia behaves in a constructive manner, Europe should do the same. “But when Russia acts against our interests, we must oppose it. Because otherwise our way of life and our values will be threatened,” he said.
Pavel expressed his belief that Russia does not care about cooperation with Europe and considers itself a superpower that has the right to dictate the rules of the game.
“They want to regain the imperial greatness of the Soviet Union, including its sphere of influence, and they are talking about it very openly. So we should take this seriously. We need to prepare for the fact that Russia will not be a peaceful partner,” stressed Pavel, who is a retired general and in the past was chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
He also added that if Russia behaves in a constructive manner, Europe should do the same. “But when Russia acts against our interests, we must oppose it. Because otherwise our way of life and our values will be threatened,” he said.
Pavel expressed his belief that Russia does not care about cooperation with Europe and considers itself a superpower that has the right to dictate the rules of the game.
“If we want to maintain security and prosperity in this part of Europe, we need to set clear boundaries for Russia. If we fail to do so, it could lead to serious complications in the future,” he said, noting that accepting Russia’s goals will not achieve peace.
He did not rule out the possibility that Russia may understand that it is unable to achieve military success in Ukraine, which could lead to diplomatic negotiations. However, he considered it unlikely that Ukraine would regain all of its lost territory in the foreseeable future.
Referring to the possibility of Donald Trump winning the U.S. presidential election, he said that Europe, which has long behaved like a “spoiled child,” must be prepared for this and take more responsibility in the security sphere.
He did not rule out the possibility that Russia may understand that it is unable to achieve military success in Ukraine, which could lead to diplomatic negotiations. However, he considered it unlikely that Ukraine would regain all of its lost territory in the foreseeable future.
Referring to the possibility of Donald Trump winning the U.S. presidential election, he said that Europe, which has long behaved like a “spoiled child,” must be prepared for this and take more responsibility in the security sphere.
Source: PAP, TVP World
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