Ukraine shifts from aid recipient to key security partner in Europe — Czech FM

He said this during the GLOBSEC-2025 forum in the Czech Republic on Friday, June 13.

Lipavský believes that over the past two years, the EU’s shared understanding and reality have shifted from "we must help Ukraine" and "Ukraine, help us" to genuine cooperation.

“It is in our interest to cooperate with Ukraine on security because Ukraine now has advanced technologies that we may also want. The only way to be part of this is to work in Ukraine and with Ukrainians,” the Czech top diplomat said.

He emphasized that Ukraine is not a country “whose capital can be captured in three days,” but a “strategic partner in building European security.”

“So, it is in our interest that Ukraine is on our side, that we form a strategic partnership and integrate with Ukraine in many areas. This is a new reality. It didn’t exist three years ago, maybe not even two. But this has been the trend over the past year,” Lipavský said.

He also highlighted that the Czech Republic’s active policy is to carry out joint projects with Ukraine.

“We are very grateful for this. So you have our support, our determination, and together we can defeat Russia and keep the borders where they belong,” the Czech Foreign Minister concluded.

• In early May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Prague with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. The discussions focused on defense industry cooperation, energy, and nuclear generation.