Czech President Petr Pavel, a former chairman of NATO's Military Committee and retired general, said that a Russian victory in the war against Ukraine would be a strategic defeat for the entire West. He said this in an interview with The Sunday Times, which he gave at Prague Castle, the place where Hitler declared the "protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia" in 1939. Such symbolism allowed him to draw historical parallels with events before World War II.
Pavel compared the current behavior of some Western capitals to the policy of appeasement that culminated in the Munich Agreement and the subsequent occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938. He warned that current talk of possible secret negotiations between the US and Russia, including the transfer of Ukrainian territories, is dangerously reminiscent of events before a global catastrophe.
" If we allow Russia to emerge from this conflict as a winner, we will all lose ," the Czech leader emphasized.
Pavel drew a clear historical analogy between Nazi Germany's justification of the annexation of the Sudetenland as "protection of the German minority" and Russian propaganda about "protection of Russian speakers."
" The same narrative is used by Vladimir Putin ," the Czech President said.
He is confident that the West is not betraying Ukraine the way it once betrayed Czechoslovakia, but it is demonstrating "an unwillingness to defend the principles it supposedly defends."
Pavel sharply criticized NATO's response to systematic violations of airspace by Russian aircraft and drones.
“ The violations are deliberate and well-planned… Russia is testing our resolve ,” he said.
In his opinion, the Alliance should be prepared for tougher measures — including shooting down a Russian plane or drone, if necessary.
" There will come a time when we will have to act more decisively. Russia will not allow repeated violations of its airspace. And we must do the same ," he said.
With Donald Trump's possible return to the White House, European leaders are increasingly concerned about a possible shift in US policy towards NATO. Pavel warns that Europe must be able to compensate for the US withdrawal in the areas of intelligence, logistics and command.
He proposes creating a "European pillar of NATO" - a system in which command positions would be divided between the United States and European countries, which would allow for a rapid transfer of command in the event of an American absence.
Pavel acknowledges that after the war, Europe will need a new security treaty with Moscow, similar to the Helsinki Accords of 1975. However, he emphasizes: no negotiations until Russia stops aggression, recognizes the territorial sovereignty of all states, and agrees to limit its own military expansion.
" We simply cannot allow Ukraine to lose ," he stressed.
Speaking about global challenges, Pavel described China as a "systemic rival" that seeks to become a global hegemon through growing military and economic power. Europe, he believes, must create a real counterbalance.
