During the official visit of the Ukrainian delegation headed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Czech Republic, the Head of the Presidential Office gave an exclusive interview to the largest public radio broadcaster in the Czech Republic, Český Rozhlas.
First of all, Andriy Yermak noted that the Czech Republic is a true friend of Ukraine, which has been actively supporting our country since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion.
"This visit is extremely important for us. President Zelenskyy and the entire team came to Prague to first of all personally express gratitude to your President, Prime Minister, government, speaker and members of parliament, as well as to all Czech people for everything that has been done in favor of Ukraine in these extremely difficult days for our country. Ukraine and the Czech Republic have always maintained friendly relations, but it was during the war that they reached their highest, historic level. After all, you share the values that our country is fighting for today, such as freedom, independence, and democracy. And this is very important to us. We will definitely win. And it will be a joint victory," the Head of the Presidential Office said.
In the context of the Ukrainian delegation's visit to Prague on the eve of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Andriy Yermak noted that he had once again seen the Czech Republic's unwavering position on Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. As for the results of the Summit, the Head of the Presidential Office emphasized: "Ukraine expects a clear signal of membership in the Alliance, as well as security guarantees until the moment of accession.”
Regarding the proposals to encourage Ukraine to hold direct peace talks with Russia, Andriy Yermak said: "Since 2018, Ukraine has held more than 180 rounds of peace talks with Russia, including in the Normandy format. Some of them lasted more than 12 hours without a break. Today, we have come to a clear conclusion: the time for mediation is over. An alternative to this process is the Peace Formula proposed by President Zelenskyy, which he presented to the G19 leaders. Successful and constructive consultations with representatives of these countries, as well as the Global South in Copenhagen, confirm the interest in implementing the Ukrainian Peace Formula. We are ready to listen to any proposals from those who respect our independence and territorial integrity."
Andriy Yermak thanked the Czech side for its military support. He noted that our countries are in constant communication. In particular, the Czech Republic takes part in military briefings organized monthly by the Office of the President of Ukraine and has the most up-to-date information on events on the battlefield, as well as on current needs for weapons.
"Every night, millions of Ukrainians go to bed without the certainty that they will wake up tomorrow alive and unharmed. But our heroic soldiers, using weapons, in particular from our Western partners, are confident of our victory. They are defending Ukrainian citizens," the Head of the Presidential Office said.
In conclusion, Andriy Yermak noted that Ukraine is talking to the Czech Republic not only about the war, but also about the future. In particular, about economic cooperation between the two countries in the energy and transportation sectors, the creation of joint ventures in heavy industry, etc.