Final Word from Monday, January 6, 2025
Czech politicians are mostly cautiously vague about what they expect from Donald Trump, but Jan Jireš of the defense ministry's policy and strategy dept. threw caution to the wind at a talk at the Czech embassy in Vienna on Dec. 12. According to FAZ of Germany, Jireš said that there will be strong pressure after Trump takes office on Jan. 20 for an early ceasefire in Ukraine. And then, Jireš said, the responsibility for Ukraine's security will essentially fall on European shoulders. "Whether a country is a Nato member or not," he said, "this will include Western European boots on the ground.... The Czech Republic, Germany and others must each be prepared to send a battalion." Given Pres. Petr Pavel's own recent comments, it's likely that sending Czech troops to Ukraine was one of the steps he or his advisers had in mind when he said in his New Year's address that the events this year in France, Germany, the United States, Middle East and Ukraine will require Czechs and Europeans to be more active. [ Czech Republic soldiers army reasonable realistic Franfurter Allgemeine Zeitung director general department Defence Policy and Strategy Division ]
Glossary of difficult words
boots on the ground - soldiers, police, etc., who are physically present somewhere in a military or police operation;
to throw caution to the wind - to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results.