Petr Pavel, President of the Czech Republic, urged not to abandon efforts to defeat Russia in Ukraine.

"At this stage, I would like to urge that we do not abandon our joint efforts aimed at defeating Russia in Ukraine and thus refuse to violate the rules of the international order, which we are witnessing. We must be motivated. We should be motivated by the same historical experience that we are talking about today. It is right that we remember it and put it in the context of today's situation; that is the only way we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past," iDNES quotes Pavel, who said this during an action in memory of victims of Nazi persecution at the National Cemetery in Terezín.

Earlier, Petr Pavel said that Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive has a good chance of becoming successful but could lead to heavy losses if Russia makes good use of its prepared defence.

He also expressed the opinion that the West should prepare for the fact that there will be no complete victory in the Russian-Ukrainian war.