President Petr Pavel visited Ukraine on 15 and 16 January. It was his third visit to the country since taking office. On Thursday in Lviv, he met with Minister for Veterans Affairs Nataliia Kalmykova and the Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi. He also visited the Lviv Regional Hospital for War Veterans and Victims of Repression and the Superhumans rehabilitation center. Then he met with representatives of the Czech diaspora, students of Czech studies, business leaders, and representatives of People in Need.

On Friday in Kyiv, President Pavel was welcomed by his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Together they paid tribute to the fallen defenders of Ukraine. In the discussion that followed, President Pavel inquired about assessments of the current state of the U.S.-led peace talks with European participation. 

The presidents also discussed prospects for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and Czech involvement in the country’s recovery, including activities in the Dnipropetrovsk region and the planned renovation of Ukrainian hospitals supported by a Czech programme under the EU-funded Ukraine Facility. On this occasion, President Pavel also praised the successful integration of Ukrainian war refugees into Czech society. Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently presented him with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, First Class, in recognition of his personal contribution to cooperation and to the defence of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.