President Pavel urges dialogue, warns against war fatigue
Czech President Petr Pavel has defended his stance in the dispute over the NATO summit in Ankara, warned against "war fatigue" over Ukraine and called for more political dialogue. In an exclusive, hour-long interview for Czech Radio recorded at the Colours of Ostrava festival, he also spoke about social media, culture and the importance of constitutional principles.
After being greeted with a long applause, Petr Pavel said festivals such as Colours of Ostrava, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and Slovakia's Pohoda offer something increasingly rare: an opportunity for people with very different political views to spend time together. "They allow people with different opinions to come together in one place and enjoy something together. Especially today, in a partially divided society, I think that is extraordinarily important."
According to President Pavel, culture has a unique ability to communicate not only facts but also emotions, helping people understand experiences that cannot be conveyed through political arguments alone. "Cultural works allow us to see things from many different perspectives," Petr Pavel said, arguing that films, theatre and music can foster empathy and remind audiences that "things are rarely black and white."
Asked whether there was a particular song capable of uniting political opponents, the president instead recalled attending an Iron Maiden concert: "For an hour and three quarters everyone was simply enjoying the same music. It brought people together, at least for a while. That's exactly why it's good to go to events like these and leave our political preferences outside."
"I could not give in to pressure"
The interview soon turned from music to one of the most contentious political disputes of recent months: President Pavel's participation in the NATO summit in Ankara. The disagreement over who should lead the Czech delegation largely overshadowed the summit itself in domestic political debate. Petr Pavel expressed regret that constitutional arguments had eclipsed what he considers much more important questions concerning European security.
While describing the dispute as a matter of constitutional principle rather than personal rivalry, President Pavel insisted that he could not simply accept pressure to stay away: "I could not give in to the pressure that was there and that Andrej Babiš expressed in the words: 'Don't go to Ankara and there will be peace.' There wouldn't have been peace anyway, because once such a process begins, it tends to continue."
The president argued that the issue was not merely about one summit but about preserving the constitutional balance between the country's institutions. According to him, governments cannot gradually redefine presidential powers without agreement, warning that recent proposals to limit the president's role in appointing ambassadors show why he considered the dispute significant. At the same time, Pavel lamented that the public discussion focused almost entirely on domestic political conflict rather than on the conclusions of the NATO meeting itself.
NATO remains united, but Czechia must do more
Asked what ordinary Czechs should take away from the summit, President Pavel offered what he described as both good and bad news. The positive message, he said, is that NATO remains a credible alliance despite public disagreements and criticism from figures such as Donald Trump: "NATO is still the united organisation that guarantees collective defence for all its members. I say that with full responsibility, and I am very glad that it remains so."
However, Petr Pavel warned that Czechia risks falling behind many of its allies when it comes to defence spending. He noted that a number of countries with smaller economies are contributing proportionally more to collective defence than Czechia: "If we continue saying that we simply cannot afford it while countries with fewer resources are doing more, our allies will inevitably begin to see us as irresponsible and unwilling to share the burden," he argued.
The president also expressed support for new European initiatives to strengthen air and missile defence, saying that closer cooperation with Ukraine benefits both sides. Ukraine's battlefield experience, President Pavel argued, is something European countries cannot obtain in peacetime, while European industrial capacity can help Ukraine defend itself more effectively: "It is not only the right thing to do from the perspective of our values. It is also a very pragmatic approach when we consider both Ukraine's needs and our own."
"Don't forget Ukraine"
Although many Europeans are becoming tired of hearing about the war, President Petr Pavel cautioned against allowing "war fatigue" to turn into indifference. He acknowledged that people naturally try to distance themselves psychologically from prolonged crises: "It is a form of self-protection," the president said. But he then stressed that the conflict continues to shape Europe's security regardless of whether people consciously think about it: "Let's enjoy life—that is completely natural. But once we return to our everyday lives, let's remain in solidarity with those who cannot enjoy the luxury of safety and peace."
The president also rejected alarmism, arguing that while wars have always been part of human history, fear should not become paralysing. Instead, he said democracies should invest in deterrence, strong alliances and preparedness in order to prevent future conflicts. Peace, he added, "does not exist simply because we wish for it—it exists because we are willing to protect it."
"Different opinions are not acts of hostility"
Much of the second half of the interview focused on President Pavel's increasingly strained relationship with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. He rejected suggestions that both sides were equally responsible for the stalemate, saying he had repeatedly proposed meetings and compromises that received either negative responses or none at all, and argued that regular communication between the country's two highest constitutional offices is essential because they share responsibility in areas such as foreign policy and national security: "We can have different opinions, but that does not mean we should see a different opinion as an act of hostility."
President Pavel also rejected claims from government supporters that he has become "the leader of the opposition." Calling the label politically convenient, Petr Pavel argued that a directly elected president represents voters across the political spectrum rather than any single party. The president then warned that prolonged institutional conflict ultimately hurts citizens rather than politicians: "If we spend our time competing over who is more right, everyone loses," President Pavel said.
Democracy needs conversation
Towards the end of the discussion, President Petr Pavel returned to a theme that had run through the interview from the beginning: the importance of dialogue. He warned that social media increasingly encourages people to retreat into ideological bubbles where opposing arguments are treated as personal attacks rather than opportunities for discussion. Instead of trying to silence opponents, President Pavel said societies should encourage respectful debate.
Reflecting on meetings with young politicians from across the political spectrum, Petr Pavel said he remains optimistic that a different political culture is possible: "They are capable of listening to one another before they become trapped in the confrontational habits of everyday politics," he observed.
Whether discussing music festivals, NATO strategy or constitutional disputes, President Pavel repeatedly returned to one central message: democracy depends not only on institutions, but on the willingness of people with different views to keep talking to one another.