Petr Pavel’s Ukraine visit highlights care for wounded soldiers and war-affected children
Czech President Petr Pavel is on his third visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. During the trip, he received Ukraine’s highest state honor from President Volodymyr Zelensky, in recognition of his strong and consistent support for the country.
President Pavel began his visit in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Thursday, where he paid tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers at the Lychakiv Cemetery, located within the city. Another stop was a children’s clinic, the largest in western Ukraine.
The facility also serves as a school for children undergoing long-term treatment, a project supported by the wife of the Ukrainian president, Olena Zelenska, with contributions from the Czech side.
Speaking about his agenda in Ukraine, President Pavel said:
“This time, we decided to visit another part of Ukraine in addition to Kyiv. During my first visit, it was the Dnipropetrovsk region, during the second the Odesa region, and now the Lviv region. I must say that in every region, the Czech footprint is clearly visible.”
A key stop for President Pavel was the Superhumans Center, which provides care for soldiers who have lost limbs. The prosthetics and rehabilitation centre also offers sports programmes designed to help patients recover and return to a more independent life.
“About 50 percent of these soldiers return to the front. When I sometimes hear opinions about Ukrainians back home, I think people should imagine someone losing a leg or an arm, yet still having the motivation to return because they believe it is the right thing to do and see no other path. I think that says a great deal about the kind of nation we are dealing with, and we should approach such things with respect and not in any way demean them,” the president said.
President Pavel’s trip follows a recent visit by Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, who confirmed that the Czech ammunition initiative will continue under the new government led by ANO party leader Andrej Babiš. The Czech head of state said he was pleased the government had ensured its continuation.
“I would consider it extremely harmful for the Czech Republic if this were not the case — not only in terms of our credibility as a partner, but also because the ammunition initiative provides jobs for many people in the Czech Republic, and taxes on their income are paid in the Czech Republic. From an economic perspective, the ammunition initiative also makes sense for the Czech Republic.”
In the evening, President Pavel met with representatives of Czech and international NGOs helping Ukraine, as well as with Czech business leaders, including those from the energy sector and the brewing industry.
On Friday, the second day of his visit, President Petr Pavel travelled by train to Kyiv, where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior officials. During the meeting, he was formally awarded Ukraine’s highest state honour, given for outstanding service to the Ukrainian state and nation.