Of course, a retired NATO general does not make spring. However, the election of Petr Pavel as President of the Czech Republic on Saturday, January 28 somewhat alleviates the harshness of the continental winter, almost a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Indeed, the former president of the Atlantic Alliance’s military committee in Brussels beat populist ex-Prime Minister Andrei Babis, sadly known for his long association with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, in the second round.
The conflict, sparked on February 24, 2022, forced the billionaire, who is close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, to distance himself from Moscow. But to try to get elected, Mr. Babis proposed an anti-war agenda, betting on the fatigue of the electorate in a country that is deeply committed alongside Ukraine. On Sunday, on the contrary, one of the first gestures of the new Czech president was to call his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to assure him of his full support. “Ukraine deserves to join NATO,” said Petr Pavel, considering there should be “no taboos” about arms supplies to Kyiv given the possibility of a new major Russian offensive in the spring.
The defeat of the self-proclaimed “peace candidate,” one of the first continental politicians to unsuccessfully draw on war-weariness to campaign, provides a valuable clue to the state of mind of Europeans, who are in the midst of a dead season. The most pessimistic forecasts would be devastating. Didn’t Vladimir Putin himself rely heavily on winter to bring the Ukrainian people to their knees and sow discord in European public opinion after suffering many setbacks in the military sphere in the autumn? The cold season is not over yet, but the Kremlin chief’s double offensive is showing its limits. And, paradoxically, underlines the resilience not only of Ukrainians but also of their continental allies.
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The bombings that have been sweeping Ukraine at regular intervals since mid-October have not yet triggered a new wave of exodus comparable to that triggered by the Russian invasion. “Resilience Centers” set up across the country are in overdrive to compensate for the incessant power outages, internet and even drinking water shortages by destroying civilian infrastructure. Once the attacks stop, the technicians will come out of their lairs to fix the damage. The country has massively equipped itself with generators, especially in the wealthiest districts, and trembles at every new rocket and drone salvo.
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