Final Word from Monday, December 11, 2023

In one of his last substantive interviews, Karel Schwarzenberg told Právo in early April that as he saw it then, neither Ukraine nor Russia had a chance to win their war outright and that Ukraine could hold its own but hardly be victorious, given the difference in the sizes of the two countries. At some point, he said, there might have to be a willingness on Ukraine's part to give up some territory. This was a major reevaluation of his position from Dec. 17 of last year, when he told Die Presse of Austria that Russia would disintegrate and that we shouldn't fear the possible chaos it could bring, in part because the West might need Russia in the future as an ally against China. In the April interview, he added that PM Viktor Orbán of Hungary is a "moderate liberal" compared to the radical parties in control of Israel. A few more interviews like these and Schwarzenberg might have concluded that the way to confront China is to have Orbán work out a deal with Vladimir Putin on behalf of all Europe. [ Czech Republic Netanyahu TOP 09 ]