The newly elected Czech President, Petr Pavel, a former NATO general, will promote close ties with the EU and help Ukraine withstand the Russian invasion, according to several analysts. “He will be a competent president if we realize that the war in Ukraine is one of the key issues facing Europe,” says Pavel Havlicek, a researcher at the Association for International Affairs in Prague.
“We know that his contacts at NATO, with his peers in the member states of the Alliance (…) are very strong, and foreign policy will be his domain”, underlines the expert. “He is very favorable to Ukraine (…), very critical of Russia,” underlines Jiri Pehe, political analyst at New York University in Prague. “His position will imply strong, unconditional support for Ukraine”, already appreciated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, insists the expert.