Czech Republic will join Ukraine peacekeeping mission, says president Pavel

He stated this in an interview with European Pravda.

The Czech president noted that his country is already part of the "coalition of the willing," so, in his view, Czech forces should join the peacekeeping contingent. However, he acknowledged that opinions on this initiative differ within the country.

"If a strong group of European states is ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, then I am firmly convinced that the Czech Republic should be among them," Pavel said.

He also sees European peacekeepers in Ukraine as one of two key security guarantees, the other being American business presence in Ukraine.

At the same time, Pavel does not believe Ukraine will join NATO in the near future.

"We have already seen that the American president (Donald Trump, - ed.) rejected the option of Ukraine's rapid accession to NATO. If this becomes an obstacle to reaching a peace agreement, then so be it. After all, NATO membership is not a matter of a few months," he added.

The Czech president also reiterated his belief that Ukraine will not be able to liberate occupied territories by military means.

"In reality, there are territories worldwide occupied by another state. But these occupations are not legally recognized. Yes, this situation may last for some time, but it is a matter of principle," he said.

Peacekeeping troops in Ukraine: What is known

At the end of January, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that at least 200,000 peacekeepers would be needed to secure Ukraine after hostilities end. Later, he clarified that the peacekeeping forces should include U.S. military personnel.

On February 11, The New York Times reported that there are no 200,000 peacekeepers in Europe available for deployment to Ukraine — this figure is nearly three times the size of the entire British army. On the same day, Zelenskyy said the mission could work if 100,000–150,000 European troops were deployed.

According to AP, a group of European countries is secretly developing a plan to send troops to Ukraine.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump supported the idea of deploying European peacekeepers to Ukraine but stated that the U.S. would not take part.

A French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said European countries are currently discussing only the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, not the number of personnel. Meanwhile, German defense company Rheinmetall announced its readiness to equip peacekeepers in Ukraine.

On March 16, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev stated that the Kremlin would view the deployment of Western peacekeepers in Ukraine as a declaration of war against NATO.

On March 21, the Italian Foreign Minister said Italy would only send peacekeepers to Ukraine under a UN flag only. Media reports also indicated that China had asked the European Union about possible participation in peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine and was awaiting Europe's position on the initiative.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that a UN peacekeeping mission cannot be an alternative to a military contingent or security guarantees.