Czech Republic should insist on starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession to EU - Pavel

This was stated on Friday by President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel after a meeting with European Council President Charles Michel, Ukrinform reports citing Radio Prague International.

The Czech President also criticized the unilateral blockade of Ukrainian grain imports, which was introduced by Poland, Slovakia and other countries due to problems with the sale of their own products. Instead, the EU could, for example, introduce a temporary duty, Pavel added.

Ukraine became a candidate for membership last year shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine started.

Concerned about Moscow's expansionism, Kyiv is trying to secure early admission and wants to formally start accession talks this year. While a number of countries in the region close to the war support Ukraine's accession to the EU, Western European countries, most prominently represented by France, are calling for a slower pace of negotiations and say the entire accession process will take more than a decade.

As reported by Ukrinform, during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General in Brussels, President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel said that the Alliance allies support Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO, but will be able to think about the timing of such a step in practical terms only after the war is over, when Ukraine, with the help of the Alliance allies, will be able to restore its economy and armed forces and become stable again.