The Czech Foreign Minister called on Europe to join the negotiations on the war in Ukraine
Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka stated that Europe must be directly involved in negotiations on a possible end to the war in Ukraine. In his view, it is wrong that European countries have not yet participated in the search for diplomatic solutions.
The head of Czech diplomacy urged that the likelihood of “a certain escalation not only regarding Ukraine but also, possibly, some EU member states” should not be underestimated, citing the incident in Leipzig in this context.
“But we must be prepared for this and act rationally. When we see that serious efforts are underway toward some peace talks—initiated, on the one hand, by India, and on the other by Turkey, it is increasingly being discussed—even within this group of ministers—that Europe is still not at the negotiating table, and no one from Europe is involved in these initiatives. And that is probably wrong. “We must also be able to put forward a person or a team to participate in these peace talks,” Macinka stated.
He also noted that the meeting did not address the development of pan-European measures in response to the incident in Leipzig; countries will take steps in accordance with their national security interests.
“I think pan-European action is currently impossible because each country is in a slightly different position. But certainly no one is taking this lightly. Incidents in Romania and Bulgaria were also mentioned, not just in Germany, and we definitely need to treat this with heightened attention,” said Macynka.
The Czech Foreign Minister noted that restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats throughout Europe have been in effect since January 26. At the same time, Estonia has introduced a stricter regime, while some countries, according to the minister, have “certain hybrid regimes on their territories.”
“The system is already showing certain shortcomings that need to be corrected. Therefore, in cooperation with our intelligence agencies, we are preparing a proposal on how to modify the notification system so that it better meets the needs of our intelligence agencies. I think it’s only a matter of time before we do this,” said Macinka.
The Czech minister also noted that today’s meeting lasted about an hour longer than expected.
He made this statement following the conclusion of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
Hungary and Slovakia will support a loan to Ukraine, says Czech Foreign Minister.
The Czech Republic has begun denying temporary protection to Ukrainians.
In 2025, for the first time since the start of the full-scale war, more Ukrainian male refugees arrived in the Czech Republic than female refugees. This shift in the migration pattern was the first of its kind since the start of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called on EU leaders to review current reception mechanisms. This involves potentially tightening conditions for certain categories of refugees, particularly men of conscription age.
