Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is calling for a new diplomatic offensive in Gdansk. He claims that without peace and negotiations, the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine will remain just an empty phrase.
At the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine in Gdansk, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš called for a diplomatic way to end the war. According to the report of the TASR agency, its Warsaw correspondent recalled that, according to him, the prerequisite for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine is above all the achievement of peace.
According to Babiš, after four years of fighting, part of the European public perceives the war more and more as a normal part of everyday life. He pointed out that the armed conflict is not virtual, but “frighteningly real” and is taking place even as European leaders discuss it at conferences.
Diplomacy needed
The prime minister criticized that, despite the extensive destruction of infrastructure and the weakening of the foundations of the state’s functioning, the public debate in Europe has narrowed down primarily to the issue of arms supplies and the risk of further escalation. He called the key task of today the search for a way to end the war, restore the space for diplomatic solutions and prepare the ground for a just, stable and lasting peace.
Babiš emphasized that after the end of the fighting, Ukraine will face a large-scale reconstruction – from infrastructure to cities and public services to the economy. However, he also warned that a long-term restart of the country will not be possible without security guarantees. He also questioned how the state can really recover if the war continues on its territory.
Peace and principles
The head of the Czech government emphasized that peace does not mean resignation to principles or abandoning them. According to him, it primarily represents the determination to stop the killing, alleviate the suffering of the civilian population and create conditions for a long-term stable future.
As he recalled, Europe was able to build a peace based on cooperation and reconciliation after the Second World War. Babiš considers the same level of wisdom and courage to be necessary even in the current situation in the search for a solution to the war in Ukraine.
