Europe is at the beginning of a longer confrontation with Russia, which may not be military, states Czech President Petr Pavel.
"They want to restore the imperial greatness of the Soviet Union, including its sphere of influence, and they are very open about it. So we have to take this seriously. We must prepare for the fact that Russia will not be a peaceful partner," he said.
According to him, Moscow has already shown itself to be a "destructive force" in many European countries, trying to spread propaganda and often outright lies.
The Czech President noted that when Russia behaves constructively, Europe should do the same.
"But when Russia acts against our interests, we must resist it. Otherwise, our way of life and our values will be threatened," he said.
Pavel added that confrontation with Russia can become part of everyday life.
He also expressed his belief that Russia does not seek cooperation with Europe and considers itself a superpower that has the right to dictate the rules of the game.
Risk of a large-scale NATO war with Russia
Recently, Western leaders have increasingly seen a high risk of a major war between Russia and NATO member states. This is evidenced by the large number of Russian sabotage operations that have been recorded in Europe.
For this reason, the US, EU, and NATO countries are stepping up arms supplies to Ukraine to counter Russia in order to prevent the enemy from advancing and increasing the threat to the West.
The Estonian government called on European countries to be ready to discuss the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine.
Lithuania said that sending foreign troops to Ukraine would show that it is not Putin who decides who the West should help.
Polish President Andrzej Duda does not rule out that Russia could attack NATO countries as early as 2026.