Petr Pavel: we all do what we can to provide Ukraine with weapons they need

Petr Pavel, who was appointed President of the Czech Republic on March 9, has been on a visit to Poland since Thursday (March 16). This has been his second international visit after the trip to Slovakia earlier this week.

The new president of the Czech Republic spoke with Piotr Marciniak in TVN24's studio in Warsaw. Petr Pavel spoke, among other things, about the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Asked if he believed that Ukraine had a chance to win, he said: "I believe it has. And I also believe we should do anything what we have at our disposal to assist Ukraine in achieving their goals".

Asked if he saw a chance for Ukraine this year, he replied: "Well, I see a window of opportunity this year because next year it will be more complicated".

"There is a phenomenon called war fatigue that is valid not just for war-fighting countries, in this case Ukraine and Russia, but it is also the case for all supporting countries. To support Ukraine, you have to maintain public support and it’s increasingly difficult with the duration of the war," the president explained.

The Czech leader was also asked if Poland's and Slovakia's decision to hand over their MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine would could make any change.

"I’m convinced that every piece of military equipment, that is needed for successful defence and potential counteroffensive, will make a change," he answered.

"Also, it’s not about the numbers that we can offer, probably 5, 10, or 20 pieces, but every piece makes change. In this case, MiG-29 is a still quite capable aircraft and what is best for Ukraine they have it in their armament, so they know how to operate it, they have all the logistics base for it," Pavel added.

Asked about Czech support, the president said: "We have provided Ukraine with our combat helicopters, transport helicopters, a number of armored vehicles. Now we’re working on provision of air defence, including some extra ammunition".

"I think that we all do what we can to provide Ukraine with most of the weapons that they need at the moment," he added.

The Czech president also commented on Hungary's prime minister's viewpoint. Piotr Marciniak pointed out that Hungary and its Prime Minister Viktor Orban were convinced that Europe's biggest threat was not Vladimir Putin, but rather imigrants from Africa and Asia.

"We had a politician who was presenting the same view until Russia started aggression against Ukraine, and then he changed his mind. Viktor Orban is still protecting Vladimir Putin and his intentions, tries to convince us the main threat is at different location. I’m convinced that main threat for Europe is with Russia. Migration is a secondary threat," Pavel said.

Speaking about his visit to Warsaw, Petr Pavel said that "Poland is our strategic partner in the region". "We have so much in common that it was quite natural for me to come to Poland as the second country after an almost obligatory visit to Slovakia," he added.

He also underscored that the Czech Repbulic's "commitments to NATO and especially to Article 5 is steadfast and that there is no change".

During a presidential debate, former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said he would not send Czech soldiers to Poland if it was attacked. He later effectively retracted his comment by saying he had never questioned the NATO Article 5.

Piotr Marciniak mentioned the question of Polish women coming to the Czech Republic seeking to get abortions, and added that the Polish Embassy had intervened in that regard two years ago.

"Well, I don’t have figures on that. From my point of view, it should be reserved, for personal reasons, for women to take a decision, and for the country to allow those who have the interest and believe it’s the right decision to do, to adopt such a solution. I don’t have a firm view on that," the Czech president said.

The Czech president was also asked why the conflict between Prague and Warsaw over the Turów mine was so acute.

"I think I will have to detach two things now. I’m afraid the title in "Gazeta Wyborcza" was a slight misinterpretation of what I said. I was calling for common sense not in the sense of teaching Poles how to use common sense, but to use common sense collectively," Pavel explained.

"We are, together with Poland and other countries of the region now, in a very comparable situation. The war in Ukraine brought us together, brought us back to the basic principles, brought us back to understanding of what is important and what’s marginal. It also brought us to understanding that this region has something to offer. And that we should work more closely together in providing solutions, providing new ideas and be initiative not only in supporting Ukraine, but also in assisting Ukraine on their way to European Union," he said.

"I think this was the substance of what I said and I didn’t have in mind Turów or any other problems we are resolving," he added.

Asked about the Turów mine dispute itself, Petr Pavel said: "I believe that the problem was on both sides in communication. Usually, when you start communicating the problem the moment when it starts, it’s much better than to let it grow and then to resolve consequences".

The Czech president added: "We have set up a new relationship with president Duda". "And we've set up a scenario where there isn’t any friction. We would let each other know from the very beginning and try to resolve the problem before it actually starts," he added.