Czech president urges NATO to deploy troops in Ukraine if Russia invades eastern Ukraine

13:47, 07.04.2014 1 min read

Czech President Milos Zeman has said that if Russia makes an incursion into eastern Ukraine, NATO should deploy its troops on Ukrainian territory.

"The moment Russia decides to widen its territorial expansion to the eastern part of Ukraine, that is where the fun ends. There I would plead not only for the strictest EU sanctions, but even for military readiness of the North Atlantic Alliance, like for example NATO forces entering Ukrainian territory," he told Czech radio.

Zeman simultaneously acknowledged that the EU would have to accept Crimea's accession to Russia, as "in the near future it will not be returned to Ukraine, despite all declarations [from the West]."

He also said he did not oppose the federalization of Ukraine, citing as examples federal states such as the United States, Germany, and Switzerland.