Ukraine must recognize that some territories may remain under control of russia - Czech President

Ukraine needs to recognize that some of its territory may remain under the control of the aggressor country of russia, at least "temporarily".

The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, a former NATO general, stated this in an interview with The New York Times on Monday, September 23.

Pavel, who spoke openly in support of Ukraine, emphasized that the country "will have to be realistic" about its prospects of returning the territory occupied by russia.

"The most likely result of the war will be that part of the Ukrainian territory will be under russian occupation, temporarily." But this "temporary thing" can last for years," said the President of the Czech Republic.

He believes that it is time for Ukrainians and their supporters to face what he calls reality. According to Pavel, neither Ukraine nor russia can count on achieving their maximalist goals. For Ukraine, this includes the return of all territory, including Crimea, occupied by the russian federation in 2014, and for russia, it is a demand that Ukraine formally cede land claimed by Moscow, including four regions that are only partially controlled by russian forces.

"It is simply not appropriate to talk about the defeat of Ukraine or the defeat of russia. So the end will be somewhere in the middle," Pavel noted.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on August 30, the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel stated that the rapid advance of the aggressor country of the russian federation in the Pokrovsk Axis is not connected with the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk Oblast.

On August 19, Pavel said that Ukraine's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) should not depend on whether it fully controls its territory.