Ukraine does not have enough strength to retake its former territories in the near term without devastating losses and must therefore prioritize its own survival as a state, Czech President Petr Pavel has said.
Pavel, a former NATO Military Committee chair and longtime supporter of Ukraine – who believes the country should join the US-led bloc notwithstanding its “temporary” borders – made the remarks in a BBC interview on Monday.
Despite its Western backing, Kiev is “not in a position to liberate occupied territories in a short time frame without a significant cost to lives,”the president said.