Czech President Petr Pavel has assessed that Ukraine has only two months to resume peace talks with Russia, otherwise Russian President Vladimir Putin could launch a major escalation of the conflict after Russia’s parliamentary elections on September 20.
In an interview with The Telegraph, given on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, the former general and former chairman of NATO’s Military Committee said Putin could order a general mobilization immediately after the election process in Russia concludes, since such a step would be politically difficult before the vote.
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“I believe the window is still open to continue the pressure and send a clear message to Russia that we are ready to begin negotiations,” Pavel said.
He underlined that the coming weeks should be used by Western allies to increase pressure on the Kremlin, with the aim of forcing Russia back to the negotiating table.
According to the Czech president, Moscow is facing numerous internal problems, while the almost daily Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russian territory have struck strategic targets, including Moscow, energy infrastructure in Western Siberia, and fuel supply lines to occupied Crimea.
Pavel assessed that these strikes, combined with the West’s uninterrupted military support for Kyiv, could convince the Kremlin that negotiations represent a more favorable solution than continuing the war.
Speaking about the NATO summit in Ankara, he dismissed concerns that US President Donald Trump could cause divisions among allies.
According to him, the summit met its core objectives by showing increased defense spending by member states, preserving the Alliance’s unity, and reaffirming support for Ukraine.
Pavel also said that closed-door meetings took place in a much more positive atmosphere than had been expected.
“President Trump said he was impressed by the spirit in the room,” he said, adding that Trump’s previous comments about Greenland were not discussed during the talks.
The summit also addressed concrete measures to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, including a Norwegian plan to provide Kyiv with more surface-to-air missiles.
However, the Czech president warned that the need for advanced defense systems is exceeding the current production capacity of the arms industry.
To address this, he floated the idea of a new model called “Defense Strategy 3.0,” which envisages NATO countries maintaining sufficient reserves of lower-cost weapons for at least 30 days, while the defense industry would be able to rapidly increase production of more sophisticated weapons, such as long-range missiles and air defense interceptors.
In conclusion, Pavel stressed that, despite debates over strengthening European defense, NATO’s approach to nuclear deterrence remains unchanged.
