President Pavel at the UN: Russia threatens Europe, while AI needs global rules
Czech President Petr Pavel used his address to the UN General Assembly to warn that Russia’s war against Ukraine threatens European security and has consequences far beyond the continent. He urged continued pressure on Moscow alongside serious diplomatic efforts. Pavel also backed Czechia’s bid for a Security Council seat and called for international oversight of artificial intelligence.
Russia’s aggressive posture poses a direct threat to European security, Czech President Petr Pavel told the UN General Assembly in New York. But the consequences of its war against Ukraine extend well beyond Europe, he said, affecting countries that rely on stable and affordable food supplies. Pavel placed the war within a broader argument about the value of international rules. Russia, he noted, launched its invasion despite being a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the body charged with maintaining international peace and security. Attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure continue, while the risks are growing, he said.
The president also drew attention to the war’s effects on agricultural production, exports and supply chains. Those disruptions are felt in Czechia, he said, but more acutely in parts of Africa and other regions dependent on food imports.
Pressure on Russia and a place for diplomacy
Pavel called on China, another permanent member of the Security Council, to use its influence to help bring Russia’s aggression to an end. At the same time, he argued that efforts to increase the cost of the war for Moscow must leave room for negotiations. “While we need to raise the costs of war for Russia, we must give serious diplomatic efforts a genuine chance,” he told the assembly. “Diplomacy matters most not between friends, but between adversaries.”
For Pavel, that is one reason the UN remains indispensable, even when agreement appears distant. He acknowledged, however, that the organisation’s future credibility will depend on its ability to produce results: preventing crises, protecting civilians and upholding the rules its members have agreed to follow. His speech also served as a statement of Czech ambitions within the organisation. Pavel reiterated Czechia’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for 2032 and 2033.
If elected, he said, the country would contribute to conflict prevention and resolution through political dialogue, humanitarian assistance and practical cooperation. He pledged support for the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure, accountability for serious violations of international law, and the defence of human rights and democratic freedoms.
Keeping people in control of AI
Pavel then turned to artificial intelligence, warning that the ability to govern the technology is failing to keep pace with its development. AI could bring enormous benefits, he said, but it could also cause immense harm without effective safeguards. “Human beings must remain in control of technology, not become subject to it,” Pavel said. He warned against allowing a race for technological dominance to push safety, oversight and responsibility aside.
Drawing a comparison with the Manhattan Project, he said scientific breakthroughs can alter the balance of power faster than governments and international rules can respond. The technologies and risks are different, he stressed, but the lesson remains: rules introduced only after harm has occurred may come too late. Pavel called for common standards, meaningful public oversight and clear lines of accountability. “No country and no company can meet this challenge alone,” he said. The choice, in his view, is between innovation guided by rules and innovation driven by the pressure to be first.
Climate change was another example of a challenge requiring collective action. Pavel said extreme weather is already threatening homes and livelihoods and putting pressure on health, food and water supplies. Assistance after disasters matters, he said, but countries must also work together to limit further damage and adapt to changes already under way. He ended his address with a call for more dialogue and cooperation: most of the challenges facing the world are global, and no nation can meet them alone.
