“Europe Must be Tough on Trump to Help Ukraine,” Says Czech Foreign Minister

Europe must be tough on US President-elect Donald Trump if it wants to prove something to him and persuade him to help Ukraine, said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský during his visit to Kiev.

“If we, as Europe, want to prove something to him, maybe to convince him of something, we need to be tough too,” Lipavský said, adding that Ukraine is “tough”.

“Ukraine is so tough that it was not three days, even not three months – and I am sure it wonʼt be two years – until Russia is able to subjugate it. So I expect toughness,” added Lipavský.

At the same time, the minister emphasized the need to wait for the final composition of Trump’s administration.

“We know many names, we hear some speculations. Some names have even been dropped. We need to wait.”

The Czech foreign minister says it will be necessary to convince Trump’s team that the war is not just about Russia and Ukraine, that it is a global affair that affects food security and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Now, with North Korean soldiers attacking also the Ukrainian army. So it is something we need to be able to explain and to act accordingly,” he added.

Lipavský is also convinced that tough behavior will not cause a response: “This is something [toughness] which is respected in a world such as we are living in.”

Lipavský’s Ukrainian counterpart Sybiha said that he saw Trump’s election as another opportunity to achieve peace “through force,” i.e. by strengthening support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Putin.

According to him, Ukraine hopes to develop relations with the new US administration based on this approach.

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