The Czech President claims that the conflict in Ukraine was the result of NATO's surrender in AfghanistanPRAGUE, September 11.
/tass/. Czech President Milos Zeman believes that his country, which performs the duties of the EU presidency from July 1 to December 31, 2022, cannot initiate the organization of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
"We definitely cannot [take the initiative to organize negotiations], since we are a participating country [in providing active assistance to Ukraine]," the host of Prague Castle said on Sunday in the Presidential Press Club program of the radio station Frequency-1, answering the corresponding question of the host. "One can think about China, Israel, Turkey, and possibly some other countries that take a balanced position [in relation to the conflict] and will not be perceived by any [its] side as interested [in obtaining the benefits of one of them]."
Zeman claims that the conflict in Ukraine, for which he blamed the leadership of the Russian Federation, was the result of the surrender of NATO in Afghanistan. He spoke about this with Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin, who visited the Czech Republic a few days ago. The American authorities, according to the president, do not consider the withdrawal of NATO units from Afghanistan a mistake.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in connection with the request of the leaders of the republics of Donbass for help. He stressed that Moscow's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories, and the goals are demilitarization and denazification of the country. The West, in response to Russia's decision, began gradually imposing numerous and large-scale sanctions against it.
