Final Word from Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Last week's special parliamentary session on security didn't produce a resolution on Ukraine, unlike the special session on security one year earlier. On March 20 of last year, the MPs of the ruling coalition resolved that the terrorist regime in Russia poses the greatest security threat and that it's in the CR's fundamental interest that Vladimir Putin's war isn't successful, that Ukraine defends itself and that it restores its territorial integrity. Foreign Min. Jan Lipavský told Deník N that the CR is now part of the coalition of the willing and that everything spoken about in the French/British-led "London format" is directed toward Ukraine's remaining a sovereign state. What he no doubt meant was that the non-occupied part should remain sovereign, which would be a big climbdown from the position taken in the resolution one year ago. Czech MPs couldn't pass a new resolution now, because the Czech position on Ukraine depends more than ever on what Europe's two nuclear powers decide to do next. [ Czech Republic Great Britain Keir Starmer France Emmanuel Macron ceasefire peace ]
Glossary of difficult words
Correction: the "London format" is of course led by France and the U.K. (not Germany, as we originally wrote);
to resolve - (of a legislative body or other formal meeting) to make a decision by a formal vote;
climbdown - a withdrawal from a position taken in an argument or negotiation.