Former Czech FM: Europe Must Stop Believing It Can Reach Deal With Putin

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Czech MP and former Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský wrote this on X while returning from Kyiv, where he attended the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference, according to Ukrinform.

“Russia is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people, producing thousands of drones, missiles and munitions, and preparing for a prolonged war. Meanwhile, in Europe, we keep telling ourselves that somehow we can reach a deal with Putin. But there will be no peace if we want it more than Putin does. We must also consider that one day hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers, thousands of drones and hundreds of missiles could be turned not against Ukraine, but against another European country. Ukraine is showing us today what that would mean,” the politician said.

Lipavský, who has visited Ukraine several times since 2022, noted that despite their exhaustion, Ukrainians have no intention of giving up their freedoms and continue to fight.

He stressed that Europe must prepare by strengthening its air and missile defenses, counter-drone capabilities, civil protection and ability to withstand mass attacks.

“We need to get rid of the Russian fifth column. We need to gain the upper hand in the information war. We need to prevent Russian sabotage,” Lipavský added.

He also said that the Czech Republic and Europe need Ukraine as an ally with valuable lessons to offer: Ukrainians have wartime experience that no one else in Europe currently possesses, including in countering drones, protecting energy and critical infrastructure, and keeping the state functioning under daily attacks.

“We must bring this experience into the Czech army, Czech companies and our civil protection system. Our soldiers should go to Ukraine, while Ukrainian soldiers should come to us. Our companies should develop and produce weapons together with Ukrainian companies. We should jointly test technologies against drones and missiles. We should participate in European air and missile defense projects. And we must start supplying weapons to Ukraine again: ammunition, aircraft, missiles, drones and everything that can genuinely help it stop the Russian war machine before it can be turned against someone else. If our L-159s can help Ukraine counter Russian drones, we must find a way to get them there,” Lipavský stressed.

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He believes that helping Ukraine and protecting the Czech Republic are one and the same thing: every Russian drone shot down over Ukraine is a drone that will never fly anywhere else, while every Russian tank destroyed is a tank that will not appear on another European border. Every lesson learned through cooperation with Ukrainians could one day save European lives.

“Putin will not be stopped by our desire for peace. He will be stopped by the conviction that he cannot win another war,” the MP wrote.

Lipavský spent the past four days in Kyiv, where, in addition to attending the Conference, he held numerous meetings.

As reported, the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference was held in Kyiv on September 11–12, 2026, under the slogan“Peace Through Strength NOW.” The event, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, brought together 700 leading politicians, diplomats, businesspeople, Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel, veterans, civil society activists and experts from 28 countries.

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