President Pavel: Trump’s Ukraine initiative a step forward, but peace still distant

U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative on Ukraine represents an important step forward, however it would be a mistake to assume that peace is within reach, President Pavel said in a speech to Czech ambassadors, warning that Russia would continue to “play a false game.”

Addressing a gathering of Czech diplomats at Prague Castle, President Pavel said today’s world is witnessing the gradual consolidation of a shifting coalition of authoritarian states. Evidence of this, he argued, includes Russia’s increasingly ruthless war against Ukraine, China’s clear interest in supporting Moscow in prolonging the conflict, Iran and North Korea’s willingness to fuel Russian aggression, and the resonance of Russian propaganda across many parts of the world.

According to the president, the key priority of the democratic world must be to apply collective pressure to stop the killing, provide Ukraine with sound security guarantees that would prevent Russia launching a fresh attack, and secure a peace deal that is not a reward for the aggressor.