Czech President Petr Pavel has stated that both Russia and Ukraine face problems and limitations that prevent either side from gaining the upper hand in the war.
Pavel in an interview with BBC Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda.
Pavel noted that the two countries have contrasting mobilisation capacities, with Ukraine being at a disadvantage. He also pointed out that Western allies are not as willing to provide support as some of Russia’s partners.
Quote from President Pavel: "Russia has far more people who are still willing to fight, and human life holds little value there. In Ukraine, it’s different. Ukraine is determined to fight, but with a limited population, it cannot mobilise as many forces."
"Ukraine can only succeed with superior technology and innovation, and that’s exactly what they are working on. With our help, Ukrainians are constantly increasing domestic weapons production. They’re devising new tactics almost daily. They’re developing new equipment. But of course, this alone isn’t enough to defeat Russia quickly," the Czech president stated.
Pavel disagreed with claims that Russia is winning the war based on the current frontline situation, pointing out that its slow and minimal advances come at an enormous cost in lives.
He concluded that while Western allies must continue supporting Ukraine militarily, victory in this war is unlikely to be achieved on the battlefield alone.
"A much more powerful tool lies in the financial, economic and other measures that the United States and Europe can impose jointly. I believe there is clear interest on both sides of the Atlantic in applying significantly more economic pressure on Russia. This is a set of measures that does not kill but is extremely powerful.
Given the current state of the Russian economy, I don’t think it can withstand economic pressure for long. Sooner or later, if these measures are imposed, Russia will have no choice but to come to the negotiating table and accept what it has so far consistently rejected", Pavel said.
Talking about the possible compromise with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pavel said: “Well, obviously, if we look at it from the point of view of the foundations of human justice or even international law, it is very difficult to agree to such a thing. But we also live in reality. What alternatives do we have? Both us and Ukraine. To fight with Russia endlessly? Such an approach will probably lead to great human losses for all of us and serious damage to our economies. We want and have to start somewhere. First, we need to bring Russia to the negotiating table, agree on a ceasefire, and then agree on a peace agreement.
Once we reach a peace agreement, we can begin to rebuild Ukraine. And perhaps, depending on how Russia reacts to that, bring Russia back to the negotiating table on security in Europe, discuss the cooperation and business that we had before. But the main precondition for that is peace in Ukraine”.
