Peace between Russia and Ukraine is out of the question, and a new Cold War could come instead, Tomáš Pojar, a Czech diplomat and advisor of the Czech prime minister, has warned.
Pojar spoke in an interview for Czech Television on Tuesday.
“Sanctions are important, but I would never overestimate them. I did not expect sanctions to stop the war,” said Pojar, adding that sanctions’ medium and long-term impact is crucial.
The influential expert is also convinced that Western allies should not expect peace between Russia and Ukraine. “Peace is out of the question. It would be foolish to bet on peace, and I cannot imagine the parties reaching a peace agreement,” Pojar warned, noting that the war started with Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.
According to Pojar, Ukraine still needs support, and there are no signs of “fading” willingness among Western allies to supply Ukraine with weapons. He also supports further sanctions against Russia.
“If we are to face a new Cold War and conflict with Russia for several decades, which is possible, we need Russia to be weak and not winning the economic war with the West,” the Czech expert said, adding that sanctions can help to make Russia weak, as it was at the end of the Soviet era.
Despite massive sanctions imposed against the aggressor, the Russian economy is not yet heading for collapse. “The regime has been preparing for the war for a long time and building up stocks for it,” Pojar explained.
The Czech expert – also the prime minister’s sherpa during the European Council’s meeting – revealed that European politicians are now less worried about the potential escalation, which could lead to Europe being drawn into a conflict.
“From our Czech and European point of view, the most important thing is to keep the Russian borders as far away from ours as possible,” he added.
(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)
Source: euractiv.com
