“Russia wants Czechia under its control” warns Foreign Minister Lipavský
Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed a proposed ceasefire in Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon after which both Ukraine and Russia agreed to a 30-day pause on energy facility strikes. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský warned that while he would like peace, it must be one that prevents Russia from being able to threaten Czechia with its imperialist ambitions.
At Tuesday's "Our Security is Not a Given" conference, held in Prague, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stated that an important part of defense is societal resilience and readiness to contribute to the defense of Europe. According to critics, however, Russia does not threaten the security of Czechia and is only interested in Ukraine to prevent NATO from having a presence on its borders.
When asked about why the foreign minister believes that Russia wants to have Czechia under its sphere of influence, Lipavský responded:
“I am basing this on what the Russian political leadership—whether that be Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, or various ideologues—say in debates or speeches about what is, if I were to paraphrase them, Russia's natural sphere of influence.”
The foreign minister added that one of Putin’s demands was that the “European security architecture” should return to 1997, and since Czechia joined NATO in 1999, it would imply that Russia considers its accession into the security alliance as a threat to its sphere of influence.
At the conference, Lipavský also stated that without guarantees of security and sovereignty, and without assurances against further attacks by Moscow, Ukraine would remain a source of risk for unrest on the European continent. So, to the foreign minister, peace is desirable, but the conditions have to be set that guarantee long-term peace and do not give Russia another opportunity to invade Ukraine:
“I would like the shooting to stop, and I would like peace to prevail, but there must be a peace that ensures Russia can no longer threaten us with its imperial ambitions. Indeed, it is not just Crimea or some eastern part of Ukraine that is being fought over; Russia has a much broader scope and intention.”
According to Lipavský, the phone call between the US and Russian presidents did not bring about a significant shift. The foreign minister added:
“It's one thing to stop shooting, and another to prevent it from happening again. That is why I am emphasizing that Ukraine must have sufficient security guarantees to ensure security on the European continent, so we are not threatened again—whether by an influx of refugees, economic instability caused by various influences, such as high inflation, an energy war, and so on.”
Lipavský added that all of this is also relevant to potential foreign investors who take Europe’s security into account when making investments on the continent. So, it’s also important, he says, to consider the future of Czech society for its economic prospects:
“Let us certainly talk about how to stop the shooting, but at the moment we must bear in mind our own security. To do that, we need to have a resilient society, we need to invest in the military, which is why we are increasing defense spending. It is absolutely essential; we must continue to do that. At the same time, we must be able to name the threats and risks that lie abroad correctly. Russian imperialism is now the threat that is closest and most intense.”
After the agreement for a limited ceasefire on Tuesday, Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 145 drones and six missiles, according to the local air force, and the air defense shot down 72 drones.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the drone attacks show that Putin has de facto rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.
