On 16 May in Reykjavik, President of Latvia Egils Levits met with President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel to discuss European security issues and, in particular, the current situation in Ukraine. Both presidents agreed on the need to strengthen military support to Ukraine.
At the start of the meeting, P. Pavel congratulated Latvia on its victory over the Czech Republic at the Ice Hockey World Championship in Riga yesterday, 15 May.
The Czech President welcomed Latvia's clear, consistent position and the support it has given to Ukraine in all its forms. "The Western world must help Ukraine win this war, which is a fight not only for Ukraine's freedom but also for the values of the whole democratic world," said E. Levits.
Both presidents agreed that Western societies must not tolerate so-called "war fatigue".
The President also emphasized: "With the victory of Ukraine, it must be ensured that Russia does not pose a long-term threat to Europe”.
E. Levits also pointed to the need to ensure Russia's accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine by setting up an international ad hoc tribunal. Work should be done to build support for such a tribunal at global level, in particular by reaching out to the countries of the so-called "Global South".
The presidents of Latvia and Czech Republic also discussed the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius in July this year. E. Levits emphasized the need to develop a concrete plan for Ukraine to join NATO. It is no longer enough to say that "NATO's doors are open", which has been said for 15 years, said the president of Latvia.
This was the first meeting between E. Levits and P. Pavel since P. Pavel took office in January 2023. It should be noted that Petr Pavel was the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018 and, before that, the Chief of the general staff of the Czech Army.
