Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday signed an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between the two countries at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Blenheim Palace, near Oxford, England.
Fiala told reporters yesterday morning that the agreement was not a legally binding international treaty, but is an important symbol. He said it frames the existing cooperation and creates space for future cooperation.
Zelenskiy thanked Fiala after the signing, and said the agreement was another step in expanding cooperation between the two countries in the security sector.
The document has several chapters, said Fiala, specifying among other things how the Czech Republic is helping Ukraine, not only by supplying military equipment but also by training soldiers. The text also deals with economic cooperation, and Fiala said that Czech companies have a wide scope for involvement in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
The agreement, which is expected to last for ten years, is not a legally binding international treaty, and does not replace Ukraine’s full membership of NATO.
A diplomatic source told CTK that as a non-binding political declaration, the new government could cancel it, but the document replicates the Czech Republic’s overall commitments on the international stage, and such a move would call them into question.
According to a CTK source, the document outlines the Czech Republic’s commitments to Ukraine, but also Ukraine’s commitments towards the Czech Republic. It states that security and defence consultations should take place between the two countries every year. One of the paragraphs of the document contains a commitment that Ukraine will provide assistance in the event of a military attack on the Czech Republic.
The text also details the amount of Czech support for Ukraine.
In early July, the Ministry of Defence declassified that the Czech Republic had sent Ukraine CZK 6.75 billion worth of military material from army warehouses from the beginning of the Russian invasion until the end of May. The amount mentioned in the agreement also includes contributions to the European Peace Facility, according to a diplomatic source, so the total is less than half the figure published by the ministry.
President Petr Pavel mentioned the security agreement between the two countries back in April after the summit of the Three-Seas Initiative in Vilnius. He said then that it may be concluded in May or June. The text of the agreement was finalised in early July and approved by the Czech government last week.
Kyiv has so far concluded over two dozen such bilateral agreements, including with the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Poland, and plans to sign several more in the coming months. At the end of last month, Ukraine also signed a treaty with the EU.
In addition to the Czech Republic, Slovenia also signed an agreement with Ukraine yesterday, as reported by the STA news agency. This agreement is also valid for ten years, and its main purpose is to “systematise” the support Ljubljana has been providing to the war-torn country.
Fiala also met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the summit yesterday, to discuss the defence industry and other topics. He also met Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic, discussing economic cooperation and tourism.
