Czech leader warns of ‘significant shift’ for Kiev — RT World News

May face conflict in Ukraine A “Big transformation” Next year, no “In the good sense of the word” Czech President Petr Pavel told the news service of the online portal Seznam.cz in an interview published on Monday.

The Czech leader, who previously served as a senior NATO military official and is a staunch supporter of Kiev in its battle with Moscow, pointed to the 2024 presidential election in the United States as the key moment of confrontation.

He claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was counting on Donald Trump winning the American ballot boxes next November and concluding an agreement with Russia regarding Ukraine, which would ignore the wishes of Kiev and other European countries.

The result, according to Pavel, will be “A kind of settlement that would theoretically return Russia to the status of a major player, and others would have to bear it one way or another.” He described the scenario as: “Not suitable” of the European Union countries, including his own country.

In his public statements, Putin previously rejected the analysis explained by Pavel. He said that the personality of the American president has little to do with the country's policy toward Moscow.

“[Trump] He was accused of having a special relationship with Russia, which is complete nonsense and nonsense. But he was the president who imposed most of the sanctions on Russia.” Putin noted in September at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

He added that American elites consider Russia an existential enemy. The Russian leader claimed that they are suppressing the voices of Americans who want good relations with Moscow.

He added: “We have no idea who will be elected, but whoever it is, the anti-Russian trend in American politics is unlikely to change.” Putin concluded.

Kiev has recently suffered a series of setbacks when it comes to securing Western aid on both sides of the Atlantic. In Washington, partisan conflict over border security led to the rejection of a White House request for more than $60 billion in additional aid to Ukraine. In Brussels, Hungary vetoed the European Commission's proposal to allocate 50 billion euros ($54 billion) over four years to support Kiev.

In his interview, Pavel also said that Putin “made it clear” that peace talks on Ukraine are only possible with the United States, and not with Kiev or any European country. Moscow views the conflict as part of a proxy war led by Washington against Russia and believes that the United States has the final say on the matter.