The Czech intelligence chief warns NATO against pushing Ukraine towards a “bad peace”.
Pushing Ukraine into making significant concessions to end the war will only embolden the Kremlin. And Russia could spend the next 10-15 years preparing an attack on Europe.
The head of the Czech Security and Information Service, Major General Michal Koudelka, told Bloomberg.
“Russia may spend the next 10-15 years recovering from the enormous human and economic losses and preparing for its next target, which is Central and Eastern Europe,” Koudelka emphasized.
“If Ukraine loses or is forced to agree to a bad peace agreement, Russia will perceive this as a victory,” he added.
This assessment is supported by other European intelligence agencies. Thus, in October, the head of German intelligence Bruno Kahl warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be ready for military cooperation with NATO before the end of the decade.
Koudelka also said that a full-scale invasion of Ukraine should remind Western countries that Russia is an “imperial superpower with imperial desires” and “absolutely despises” its military losses and the deaths of civilians.
According to the major general, the Czech Republic remains a target for Russian hybrid warfare, including traditional espionage, cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns and subversion.
At the same time, Koudelka dismissed Europe's concerns that the administration of newly elected US President Donald Trump could weaken security and intelligence cooperation with the EU:
“I worked with our American partners under President Trump before, and it was really great. And now under President Biden. And I am 100% convinced that it will be just as great during Trump's second term.”
The head of Czech intelligence called on Western countries to avoid new security threats and economic dependence when they resume business and diplomatic relations with Russia in the future. He added that Russia is an “aggressor that understands only force”, and the outcome of the war will determine the likelihood of a future global conflict with the direct participation of NATO.
“If it encounters a strong country or a strong alliance, Russia will calculate that it is not worth getting involved with. If, on the contrary, Russia comes to the conclusion that the war in Ukraine has borne fruit, that European countries are weak, and NATO lacks unity, then it can try something new,” Koudelka warned.
Recall that the head of the special headquarters for Ukraine at the German Defense Ministry, General Christian Freiding, said there are signs that the Russian army is striving to achieve such capabilities by 2029 that would allow it to carry out new aggression, in particular against the country NATO.
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