Interviews

Petr Kolář: I’d give Petr Fiala’s government an A for foreign policy

Publikováno: 29. 9. 2025
Autor: Luboš Palata
Foto: archives of Petr Kolář
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He studied ethnography and folklore, but Petr Kolář eventually settled in diplomacy. He served as ambassador in several countries. In 2013, there was speculation about him succeeding Karel Schwarzenberg as foreign minister. He is now an advisor to President Petr Pavel, who called him a “friend by his side.”

What do you see as the basis for bringing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine to an acceptable end?
I don’t know. I don’t know what “acceptable” means for the Ukrainians. No one has the right to decide for them when and under what conditions they should stop fighting. At the same time, it’s clear that without Western help, they won’t drive the occupiers out of their country any time soon, and the ongoing war is exhausting Ukraine. Support from the “Coalition of the Willing” continues, but it’s insufficient, and Ukraine’s human resources are not unlimited. I fear the development on the battlefield and in the international arena will lead to a kind of “Cypriot” or “Georgian” scenario, meaning that part of Ukraine will remain occupied, while most of the world will refuse to recognize Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territory and the violation of its territorial integrity. It must not become a fait accompli. This temporary mutilation of Ukraine should be compensated by the EU, and eventually also by NATO, with security guarantees and a clear perspective of Ukraine joining the family of democratic states. Let’s not forget that NATO’s Bucharest Summit in spring 2008 left the door open for Ukraine and Georgia. I can imagine some transitional period before Ukraine becomes a full member of Euro-Atlantic structures, during which Article 5 of the Washington Treaty would apply even though it wasn’t yet a NATO member, while its position vis-à-vis the EU would be similar to Puerto Rico’s relationship with the USA until full membership. A recovery plan, something like the Marshall Plan, as President Pavel mentioned at the Rome summit in June, should also be carried out. The collective West, together with the Ukrainians, should ensure that the part of Ukraine under Kyiv’s control is safe, democratic, prosperous, and prepared for the reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories once they are regained.

 

You served as ambassador both to the United States and to Russia. Was there, and is there, a special relationship between Russians and Americans that allows them to pursue common interests regardless of Europe?
The special relationship between the USA and the USSR in the past stemmed from bipolar power politics and the fact that they were the two nuclear superpowers. Since the end of the Cold War, however, it’s clear that Russia is far from having the strength and standing of a superpower. It’s a colossus with feet of clay, surviving only thanks to a war economy, Western fears of direct confrontation, World War III, and nuclear apocalypse, and also due to President Trump’s incomprehensible attitude toward Putin. But Russia only understands strength. Putin’s Russia is an evil that must be stopped and punished. Concessions solve nothing. We know where the policy of appeasement leads. If the US were to make a deal with Russia without Ukraine and without Europeans, it would be a tragic mistake, one that even Americans would ultimately pay for.

 

In your view, has the last year of Israel’s campaign against Hamas changed Israel’s position in the world, and what does that mean for the future?
The conflict in Gaza was sparked by Hamas. They are terrorists. If there had been no October 7, 2023, these horrors in Gaza would not be happening. These horrors could end immediately if Hamas released the remaining hostages and abandoned its ideology of eliminating Israel. Israel has the right to self-defense and is naturally trying to secure its safety. On the other hand, one cannot ignore the suffering of civilians or the fact that the ongoing conflict in Gaza, combined with a humanitarian catastrophe, is dramatically eroding world sympathy for Israel. Israel needs allies. If it loses them, it will pay dearly. And that’s something I certainly don’t wish for.



With partner Světlana Witovská and President Petr Pavel.

 

We’ve had four years of Petr Fiala’s government. His foreign minister Jan Lipavský was originally dismissed as someone just filling the post. How has he performed compared to his predecessors? And what grade would you give the government as a whole for foreign policy?
Minister Lipavský is a good foreign minister, and I’d give Petr Fiala’s government an A for foreign policy – with a small minus…

 

The ANO movement is the election favorite. Do you see its possible victory as a danger to the Czechia’s pro-Western orientation and its membership in the EU and NATO? And if so, why? And does President Petr Pavel have the opportunity and political power to prevent that?
I don’t think ANO is anti-Western, even though the values on which Western civilization rests are not immutable for some of its representatives. Still, I want to believe that if it governs, it won’t pose a real threat to our EU and NATO membership. That cannot be said of other opposition anti-system parties that would like to form a coalition with ANO. President Pavel is keenly aware of his responsibility to our country and its anchoring in Euro-Atlantic structures. The character of our state is clearly defined by our constitution and unambiguously formulated in its preamble. I am certain that President Petr Pavel will use his position as head of state, in accordance with our constitution, to ensure that the principles and values enshrined in it are not trampled on.

 

You are also involved in supporting the Czech arms industry. What is its position in the world today? Would you place it alongside beer, glass, or Škoda cars as one of Czech national treasures ?
The world has been changed by Russia’s war against Ukraine. It is also being changed by Donald Trump’s policies. We live in difficult and uncertain times. Now is not the time for pacifism. Our security is not a given – we must take care of it. Our arms industry has an excellent and long tradition and is respected worldwide. Yes, it is one of our national treasures, and we should treat it as such and make full use of its potential.

 

The author is a European editor of Deník

 

 

CV BOX
Petr Kolář (born September 27, 1962, in České Budějovice) is an advisor to President Petr Pavel and a former diplomat.
In 1986 he graduated in ethnography and folklore from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University. He spent a year at the Institute of Ethnography and Folklore of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, then, deemed undesirable by the communist regime, worked for a year in manual labor before his military service. 
After 1990 he worked at the Institute of Contemporary History of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, at the Institute for Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Defense, and also as a journalist. From 1993, he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
From 1996 to 1998 he served as ambassador to Sweden, then until 2003 as ambassador to Ireland, from November 2005 to 2010 as ambassador to the USA, and in 2012 for less than a year as ambassador to Russia.
He cooperates with the American law firm Squire Patton Boggs and with the think tank European Values, and is active in the Initiative for European Values. He has also served as an informal advisor to several politicians. He is now a close advisor to President Petr Pavel.
He is a widower and has two sons, Ondřej and Adam. Ondřej is currently a member of the European Parliament, while Adam worked as a reporter for Czech Television.



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