Czech FM: Putin dreams of holding "SMO" in Central and Eastern Europe

This was stated by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky during a speech at the University of Louis during a bilateral visit to Hungary, Ukrinform reports.

"It is naive to think that if Russia won in Ukraine, its tanks would stop at our borders. Moscow's goal is not only to destroy Ukraine and assimilate it with its cruel thinking as a purely Russian territory. It is about undermining our part of Europe. It wants to kidnap the West back into its world of tyranny and disorder, traditions and behavior... Ukraine's defeat will bring the winner new resources and open the gates for other so called "special military operations" in Central and Eastern Europe," the Czech diplomat said.

He noted that the future of Europe is at stake. "If we allow Russia to destroy Ukraine, if its aggression goes unpunished, other predators around the world will follow suit," Lipavsky said.

Ukraine, he emphasized, is fighting for its survival. However, it is also fighting on behalf of European nations.

The Foreign Minister reminded that today in Ukraine people are being killed by the same tanks that the fathers and grandfathers of the current generation witnessed on the streets of Budapest and Prague.

"The situation is changing, and Russia's imperial cruelty continues. Just as in 1956, 1968, or 1981, Russia's rulers believe that they are the only ones who decide the fate of the nations within their reach. As before, Moscow knows only one way to deal with those who oppose it - to defeat them," the Czech foreign minister said.

He noted that Russia's imperial ambitions have no limits if they are not set and recalled the words of former Czech President Vaclav Havel, who once said: "The problem with Russia for many centuries is that Russia does not know exactly where it begins and where it ends." If allowed, Russia would not hesitate to take on the territories of the former Eastern Bloc.

Lipavsky noted that after two years of Russian aggression, the conflict in Ukraine has turned into a war of attrition.

"This is a decisive moment! We must remain focused on Ukraine's defense needs and increase pressure on Russia and its allies through sanctions. We must continue to pursue active and intelligent multilateral diplomacy," he said, noting that as Hungary prepares for its second presidency of the Council of the European Union, he emphasized that the central issue will be how to deal with Russia's aggression against the West.

"I believe that our two countries play a special role in this fight. We are the ones who escaped from the prison that Moscow built for us and around us after the Second World War. We know what it is like to live in that prison. We do not want to live in it again. We need to keep reminding those who look at this prison from the outside what a terrible place it is. And that Moscow should not be allowed to build it again and drag others there against their will," Lipavsky summarized.

The day before, he held talks with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto.

As reported, the Czech government and president took the initiative to search for ammunition for Ukraine in third countries for EU money. Prague claimed that it had found 800,000 units through its contacts, and later mentioned more than a million; 500,000 of them have already been purchased.