How the Czech Republic is supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia

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• Judy Woodruff:

  The first country to provide Ukraine with Soviet era tanks was the Czech Republic. It's also provided artillery and infantry fighting vehicles. Due to their historical ties to the Soviet Union, both countries field similar weapons systems, allowing the Ukrainians to use Czech armaments effectively and with little training.

  For more on his nation's aid to Ukraine, I'm joined by Jan Lipavsky, who is the Czech Republic's minister of foreign affairs.

  Minister Lipavsky, thank you very much for joining us.

  At this point, do you believe your country is doing all it can to support Ukraine?

  Jan Lipavsky, Czech Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs: Hello.

  We are doing as much as we can. And we are doing it for Ukraine, we are doing it for all of Europe, and we are doing it for the world order, since Putin is waging war against the whole world and the international order.

• Judy Woodruff:

  I want to ask you about that, because, today, word came from U.S. officials that the Soviet era tanks that the Czech Republic and Poland have supplied to Ukraine, that a number of them have created problems.

  They have not been in the condition that they should have been in. Is your country doing all it could be doing to make sure all this material is in working — good working order?

• Jan Lipavsky:

  It depends on what is in stockpile.

  So, if there is a well, there is a way. We are also helping with repairing work. So, I hope this will be solved soon.

• Judy Woodruff:

  So, you are confirming there have been issues with the tanks; is that right?

• Jan Lipavsky:

  No, no, no, no, no. I'm just saying that we are using the old weapons, so there may be issues. But I don't want to be specific on any of that.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Well, more broadly speaking, Minister Lipavsky, is it your sense that the entire — that all of NATO is doing for Ukraine what it could be doing?

• Jan Lipavsky:

  I would rather be speaking about specific states, like the United States or United Kingdom or Poland, which are major contribution on these activities on delivering weapons to Ukraine.

  There are other states like France who also are providing weapons. And European Union agreed on multiple quite significant packages of money, put it into procurement of weapons. So there always can be done more, but we also need to be thinking that this has to be done in a sustainable way, so it's not just outbursts of activities, and then that will be decreasing.

  So, we need to do it in a sustainable way.

• Judy Woodruff:

  I want to ask you about what we just heard in Willem Marx's report. And that is the comments much earlier today from the U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, when he said he wants to make sure that the Russians would not be able to do the kinds of things that it has done in the invasion.

  In other words, the U.S. is saying they don't want Russia to be able to do another invasion. Is that realistic, do you think? Does the West have the ability to stop the Russians from doing that?

• Jan Lipavsky:

  Yes. Yes.

  We have to stop Russia now. Putin has mind of imperialistic big Russia. Would not he be stopped now in Ukraine, he would continue with other countries, maybe with Baltics, maybe with Moldova. So, we have to stop Russia with this aggression now. Therefore, it's necessary to put sanctions on Russia and help Ukraine with humanitarian and military aid.

• Judy Woodruff:

  But do you think that that — so you're saying it's realistic, given the level of assistance that the West, that NATO is giving Ukraine right now, that you believe it can hold off Russia? Do you believe Ukraine can prevail in this…

• Jan Lipavsky:

  Definitely, yes. Definitely, yes. And I believe that Ukraine will win this war.

• Judy Woodruff:

  What gives you that confidence?

• Jan Lipavsky:

  I understand and I see the will of Ukraine for freedom, open society, for democracy, for values of freedom of speech.

  Zelenskyy was democratically elected, Putin not. That's the difference.

• Judy Woodruff:

  And I hear you saying that, and yet we see the Russians are firing missiles across the Ukrainian countryside. They are hitting the west of Ukraine now.

  What's to stop them from continuing to wage this kind of war?

• Jan Lipavsky:

  The sanctions will stop flow of money and dual-use technology.

  So, Russian, sooner or later, will — won't be able to produce any of those modern rockets. And would the West provide Ukraine with the good anti-air systems, they would be also able to shoot these rockets down. So that's what we have to do.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Mr. Minister, you mentioned the sanctions. Of course, the Czech Republic is a member of the European Union. But the E.U. has failed so far to agree on stopping purchasing oil and gas from Russia.

  Can Russia be stopped as long as that kind of business, that kind of trade continues with Russia and the rest of Europe?

• Jan Lipavsky:

  This is part of the problem. And I'm sure that E.U. — the E.U. sooner or later will be able to solve this issue.

  We are now in the process of making the sixth package of sanctions, which will be announced pretty soon. But it's hard to predict. And, yes, of course, Europe is partially dependent on Russian gas. So, to cut it off from the supplies, we need to do some measures. We need to do some intermediate solutions.

  So, it's not so easy. But we are working on it quite — quite effectively. We are working on it.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Is Germany the main holdup?

• Jan Lipavsky:

  We need to find different sources. We need to find ways how to cut demand in some areas.

  So that's something which takes time. But there is a will to cut off this Russian gas.

• Judy Woodruff:

  All right, we're going to leave it there.

  The foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, thank you very much.

• Jan Lipavsky:

  Thank you. Goodbye.