Petr Pavel, the President of Czechia, has urged the West not to lessen its support for Ukraine – otherwise the coming year might be more favourable for Russia.

Petr Pavel in an interview with Corriere della Sera stressed that as a president, he sees the situation in Ukraine not only from the military perspective, but also in terms of moral values. "We have no choice but to give Ukraine everything for it to fulfil its goal of restoring its sovereignty and control over its borders: anything less would be a defeat for us," he said.

Pavel also believes that a victory for Russia would signal to other regimes that they can achieve their goals by force and can count on the weakness of Western democracies.

He said that the next year will be even more difficult for Ukraine and the coming winter will be a major challenge, drawing attention to the fact that a large share of Ukrainian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed and cannot be fully rebuilt even with the help of Ukraine’s Western allies.

"People will have a tough time. Meanwhile, the indecisiveness of the countries that support Ukraine will create a growing sense of frustration. Naturally, this creates a situation that is not very conducive to the continuation of counteroffensive operations," the Czech president said.

Pavel explained that the winter will give Russia time to recover, especially given that Russia’s industry is now operating in war mode: "They are manufacturing a lot more large-calibre ammunition and more tanks and are recruiting more soldiers. They are negotiating supplies with several countries.

If we waste the opportunity to maintain our support for Ukraine, next year might be even more favourable for Moscow. This year is key to laying the foundations for success, but next year will be more difficult," Pavel concluded.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has said he believes that Russia might attack the Baltic states if it comes to believe it has won in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said he expects the Ukrainian Armed Forces to make progress in their fight against the Russian occupying forces, but warned: "We must be prepared for the long haul".