The Diplomat
The Czech Ambassador to Spain, Ivan Jancarek, stressed on Wednesday his government’s support for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and NATO, during a meeting with journalists to analyse the war situation one year after the invasion by Russian troops.
Jancarek said that “in autumn we will have the EU report (on Ukraine’s candidacy) and Spain will have a very important role to play here, because the Presidency in this area can encourage the support of the partners for consensus and can take initiatives to ensure that the result is the one we want”. A result which, “if the conditions are met and there is a recommendation from the Commission”, should lead to the start of accession negotiations.
As for the Czech Republic’s support for Ukraine’s NATO membership, he said he hoped it would be formalised “as soon as possible, especially after the end of the conflict”. The ambassador argued that “Ukraine is demonstrating its determination and ability to defend the Euro-Atlantic space and its values. In practice, Ukraine is converging with the Alliance at an unprecedented speed.
Ivan Jancarek noted that, in any case, “Russia must not win the war”, as “successful aggression would encourage new Russian imperial ambitions in Europe, contribute to the decline of the international order and could become an inspiration for other authoritarian regimes”.
“We don’t have to think about what Putin is going to do now, that’s his problem“, he said, “what we have to do is to continue to support Ukraine and supply it with the weapons it needs to regain its territory”. He also called for solidarity from European countries: “It is essential to maintain the unity of the EU and other allies with regard to sanctions against Russia, while at the same time increasing military support for Ukraine”.
The ambassador also praised “the courage, energy and relentless actions of the strong Ukrainian civil society, which is the key to the transformation of the whole country and an important partner”. And after reviewing the economic and military aid provided by the Czech Republic to Ukraine, he said that “we also have to think about how we are going to rebuild the country, although for this we need peace to come”.
However, he stressed that in order to achieve peace “we have to abandon the usual thinking that all conflicts must be resolved primarily through negotiations“. He recalled that it was Putin who initiated the aggression and therefore “a politically firm and militarily tough stance must be taken against Russia”.
“The cautious approach is not productive,” he continued, “as it prolongs the killing in Ukraine, Ukrainians and Russians, soldiers and civilians alike.” “Russia,” he warned, “interprets the cautious approach as weakness and that motivates it to continue waging war by all means at its disposal. A cautious approach diminishes the authority of the EU/NATO in the eyes of the world”.
Finally, the Czech diplomat stressed that his Government supports the investigation of war crimes committed in Ukraine and the punishment of those responsible, and reiterated the call for the establishment of “a special international tribunal to try crimes of aggression committed by representatives of the Russian Federation in Ukraine”.
