Czech President Petr Pavel has cautioned that a completely fair peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is unlikely, despite it being the ultimate goal, Politico reports. Speaking on the Czech political podcast PoliTalk on 21 August, Pavel outlined what a just peace might entail.
“A just peace, if we were to imagine it on a scale from 100% to nothing, would mean the restoration of Ukraine’s full control over its territory, including Crimea. It would require that the aggressor pay compensation for war damages. But that’s probably a fantasy, we can all agree,” Pavel said.
The Czech president acknowledged that the actual outcome of peace negotiations would likely differ from this ideal scenario. However, he emphasized that the objective should be to “get as close as possible to a just peace.”
Politico says unnamed Ukrainian officials stated on 19 August that they would be willing to engage in peace negotiations, but would not agree to direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier, referring to anonymous sources, The Washington Post claimed that Ukraine and Russia were set to hold indirect talks in Qatar for a partial ceasefire on energy infrastructure strikes, but the negotiations were postponed after Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
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