Discussion of the potential involvement of Czech troops in monitoring a possible ceasefire in Ukraine is premature, according to most of the Czech politicians contacted by CTK yesterday.
The United Kingdom and Germany have said they are ready to send their troops to Ukraine as part of a security guarantee. Swedish officials also did not rule out sending troops. However, Poland will not send its soldiers, according to Polish PM Donald Tusk.
Chamber of Deputies Deputy Speaker Jan Bartosek (KDU-CSL) said that Czech soldiers should be present in Ukraine after the ceasefire, if they were part of a wider European military presence. Maintaining an enduring peace in Ukraine is in the Czech interest and should be an absolute priority, he said.
Lubomir Metnar (ANO), chair of the parliamentary defence committee and a former defence minister, said that it is not possible to comment on the question of any involvement of the Czech Republic at a time when nothing is known of any possible security guarantees except for media statements. “The moment we know the clear requirements or there is a clear proposal on the table to discuss such an engagement, I can comment accordingly,” he said.
Former minister Helena Langsadlova (TOP 09) also said she considered this question premature. “It is not even clear at this point whether a ceasefire will be concluded, or what a permanent peace settlement would look like,” she said. It is also therefore unclear what kind of situation the troops would be sent into, she added.
The far-right opposition party Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) is against the participation of the Czech army, said Radovan Vich, a member of the parliamentary defence committee. He said it was too early for any consideration, as peace talks have not even started yet.
“Only on the basis of their results will a peace agreement be prepared, where, in my opinion, Russia will insist on a UN Security Council resolution,” he said. Such a military mission would certainly not be short or cheap, he added.
Two weeks ago, Chief of General Staff Karel Rehka told CTK that it was too early to discuss the potential deployment of Czech soldiers to Ukraine to monitor the ceasefire.
Defence Minister Jana Cernochova (ODS) also said it was too early to comment.
