Pavel: Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO as soon as war ends

Czech president-elect Petr Pavel says Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO as soon as Russia’s war on the country ends. In an interview for the BBC published on Wednesday, the retired NATO general said that Ukraine should be “morally and practically ready” to join the alliance once the conflict is over.

Regarding Western military support to Ukraine, Mr. Pavel said that there ought to be almost no limits on what countries could send to the Kyiv government.

He said he did not regard sending Western fighter planes such as F-16s as “taboo” but was uncertain they could be delivered soon enough to be of benefit to Ukraine.

Mr. Pavel will be inaugurated as Czech president on March 9.