If peacekeeping units are deployed on the territory of Ukraine, the Czech Republic could and should be part of them, as it is an active player in the peace process and has been supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Czech President Petr Pavel said this in an interview with the Czech news agency ČTK. The specific involvement, he said, will depend on the form of the agreement.
“There is an opinion that a certain demilitarised zone could emerge along the line of contact, whatever it may be. Such a zone would be subject not only to technical but also physical control. There would probably be a certain deployment of international forces,” the Czech president said.
He also suggested that territorial concessions for the sake of reaching an agreement are likely to take place, although this is a violation of international law.
“This is more or less an acknowledgement of the reality that Russia is firmly in control of some regions. If they are recognised as temporarily occupied, we should call them just that, not Russian territories,” Pavel added.
He emphasised that he would not dare to assess what exactly an agreement on the territories should look like, because this is a matter between Ukraine and Russia.
“We probably should not advise what they should keep and what they should give up. This is definitely beyond our authority and competence,” the Czech head of state said.
Because of the discussion of security guarantees for Ukraine, where foreign military could potentially be brought in as part of peacekeeping units, Czech Defence Minister Jana Černohová told Seznam Zprávy on Tuesday that the Czech Republic is not yet considering such a move.
If the Czech military were to operate in Ukraine after a ceasefire, she said, it could look like it did after the war in the former Yugoslavia. Czech units there were not on the line of armed conflict, she said.
If the Czech army were to be involved, it could involve, for example, training the Ukrainian military or helping with mine clearance, Defence Ministry spokesman David Šima said. The possible dispatch of soldiers must be approved by the government and both houses of the Czech parliament.
Security guarantees for Kiev are a key issue in efforts to end the war. Their discussion became more active after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump and European counterparts in Washington.
According to media reports, as part of the so-called coalition of the willing, Britain has offered to deploy Typhoon fighter jets in western Ukraine and a brigade of 3,000-5,000 troops to train the Ukrainian army. France, Canada and Australia could also send troops to western Ukraine.