Ukraine Could Join NATO Despite Russian-Occupied Territories, Says Czech President

Ukraine’s entry into NATO should not be contingent on its full territorial control, President Petr Pavel stated in an interview with Novinky a Právo. He anticipates that in the coming years, Ukraine may negotiate peace with Russia, potentially resulting in Russia occupying part of Ukraine’s territory for an extended period—though this would not involve democratic states recognizing the change in borders.

“I believe that full restoration of control over the entire territory is not a necessary prerequisite. If there is a demarcation, even an administrative border, we can treat it as temporary and admit Ukraine into NATO based on the territory it controls at that time,” President Pavel explained.

He pointed to historical precedent for such an approach, saying, “Consider Germany as an example. Despite the division of Germany, which was not recognized by all Western countries, and the Soviet occupation of part of its territory, West Germany was accepted into NATO in 1955. Therefore, I think there is both a technical and legal pathway to allow Ukraine to join NATO without drawing NATO into conflict with the Russian Federation.”

Pavel emphasized that global powers, including the United States, China, and the European Union, should play a significant role in this process.

“If peace negotiations occur, it’s highly likely that Russia will occupy part of Ukrainian territory for a long time. From the perspective of democratic nations that uphold international law and the UN Charter, we should respect the agreement between the warring parties, but we must not accept any change in international borders brought about by aggression,” the president added.

He stressed that democratic countries should view territories occupied by Russia as only temporarily held, with Ukraine’s sovereignty recognized over the territory it controls.

The Russian full-scale war in Ukraine has now been ongoing for 2.5 years. However, it has extended beyond Ukraine’s borders into Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have made territorial gains. According to Pavel, Ukraine is attempting to secure a stronger position for potential peace negotiations through these actions.

Ukraine officially announced carrying out an operation in the Kursk region on August 12.

The latest data reveals that Ukrainian forces control 92 settlements in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, according to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.