Czech President Supports NATO's Non‑Combat Support in Ukraine
NATO forces could conduct supporting operations directly on Ukrainian territory, as it would not violate any international rules, assessed Czech President Petr Pavel in an interview with Czech television.
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According to Pavel, there must be a clear distinction between the deployment of combat troops and the possible engagement of soldiers in some "supportive" actions, in which NATO already has experience.
- It should be remembered that after the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of parts of Donbas, which was essentially aggression, though on a much smaller scale than currently, a NATO training mission operated on Ukrainian territory, which once consisted of over 15 countries and numbered about 1,000 people - recalled the Czech president, former head of the NATO Military Committee.
- From the point of view of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, there is nothing to prevent the forces of NATO member states - and, for example, civilians - from participating in work in Ukraine - emphasized in the interview with Czech television.
Asked whether he would support NATO forces' direct support to Ukraine on its territory, Pavel did not answer no. - Certainly, I would not reject a debate on this subject. If we agreed with the allies that instead of, for example, training Ukrainian soldiers on the territory of NATO countries and transporting thousands of soldiers, for example, to Poland or the Czech Republic, it would make much more sense to transport several instructors to the territory of Ukraine and train Ukrainian soldiers there - he said.
"Assisting in training and maintenance of equipment is not fighting"
He also reminded that after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow stated that anyone who provides any assistance to Ukraine would be a justified target.
- Today we supply Ukraine not only with small arms, we supply it with tanks, soon we may supply it with aircraft, we supply it with medium-range cruise missiles, and yet there has been no attack on NATO territory. Russia well knows that it would be a violation of law on a much larger scale than what it is currently doing - assessed the Czech president, adding that Russia is aware of NATO's strength.
According to Pavel, western allies should have the courage to legally defend their activities, "because assisting in the training and maintenance of equipment in a sovereign country is not fighting" - he explained.
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Source: Euractiv
