Volodymyr Zelensky visits Slovakia and Turkey after the Czech Republic

The authorities of the Czech Republic promise further support to Kyiv in repelling Russian aggression, including the delivery of military helicopters, the Prime Minister of the Czech government, Petr Fiala, said after talks in Prague with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. “Ukraine is also fighting for us, for the security of all of Europe,” Fiala emphasized.

As a result of the meeting, it also became known that the Czech Republic will provide Ukraine with artillery shells and help train Ukrainian pilots to fly modern Western military aircraft. The countries signed a memorandum on cooperation in the military-technical sphere.

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic stated that the future of Ukraine is connected with the European Union and NATO. “We don’t know when the war will end, but we know now that we must open the doors to the EU and NATO to the brave people of Ukraine,” Fiala said.

Volodymyr Zelensky said, in turn, that Ukraine should do everything possible to start negotiations with European structures on joining the bloc. Zelensky also noted that Ukraine needs long-range weapons to resist the Russian army invading its territory. “Without long-range weapons, it is difficult not only to conduct offensive actions, but also to provide defense,” Zelensky added.

On Thursday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said at a press conference after talks in Prague with President Petro Pavel that “ideal” for Ukraine would be its invitation to NATO at the summit of the Union in Vilnius, which will be held on July 11-12. Pavel said at the same press conference that the moment of the end of the war will be important for Ukraine to start negotiations on joining the North Atlantic Union. According to him, it will be in the interests of the Czech Republic, as well as the accession of Ukraine to the European Union.

Before his visit to the Czech Republic, Volodymyr Zelensky held talks in Bulgaria on July 6, and from Prague he made a stop in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, on his way to Turkey. His talks with President Zuzana Chaputova are expected in Bratislava. A meeting with the Turkish leader Recep Erdogan is planned in Istanbul. According to the Turkish side, provided by Reuters, the talks will discuss, among other things, the prospects for further prisoner exchanges with Russia and the fate of the grain deal with Moscow on the export of Ukrainian agricultural products from the Black Sea ports.