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‘Peace in Europe no longer default situation’, warns Czech president Petr Pavel – Europe live | Ukraine

Published

3 months ago

May 21, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

‘Peace in Europe no longer default,’ Czechia’s Pavel says

In a stark warning, Pavel – a retired Nato general – warns that “peace in Europe can no longer be treated as the default state of affairs.”

“It must once again be actively protected, defended and maintained. The lesson of this moment is not that Europe is alone it is that Europe needs to be strong enough to stand on its own when needed.”

He warns that Europe needs to pull all the levers to get itself into the best position, as “history will simply not wait for Europe to become ready.”

“We must act swiftly,” he says.

Key events

Ukraine must be precise when using drones to avoid helping Russian provocations, Poland’s defence minister says

For what it’s worth, Poland’s defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said this morning Ukraine must be very precise when using drones to avoid Russia interfering with their flight path.

“Ukraine must be more precise here, of course, to avoid giving rise to Russian provocations,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told a news conference in the Estonian capital Tallinn, Reuters reported.

“Our territories … should not be violated, they should not be threatened.”

Earlier this week, Ukraine apologised for individual cases when its drones attacking targets in Russia strayed into the Baltic airspace, blaming Moscow’s “electronic warfare.”

But Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte laid the blame squarely on Russia, saying bluntly yesterday (Europe Live, Wednesday):

“If drones come from Ukraine, they are not there because Ukraine wanted to send a drone to Latvia, Lithuania, or Estonia. They are there because of the reckless, illegal, full-scale attack of Russia, starting in 2022 after, of course, what they did in Crimea in 2014 against Ukraine.”

Latvia declares possible drone alert for southeastern part of country

And just like that, Latvia’s army has just issued a possible drone alert over southeastern part of the country – for the third day in a row.

I will keep an eye on that as there are more questions than answers at this early stage, including the crucial one on where does the it come from and, well, whose is it as we have seen reports of stray Ukrainian drones crossing into the Baltic countries as a result of Russian jamming.

Russia claims Ukraine is seeking escalation after Zelenskyy warns of possible expansion of war by Russia

Just as Pavel was speaking in Prague, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was pursuing escalation of the conflict between the two countries.

It’s quite a claim given (checks notes) Russia’s continued and relentless invasion of Ukraine for years.

But it fits a pattern of Russia’s increasingly assertive or outright aggressive language towards others in the region – first the Baltics, and Latvia in particular, and now Ukraine.

In fact, Zelenskyy specifically warned last night about the prospect of Russia expanding its aggression, particularly from the direction of Belarus.

“Ukraine will certainly defend itself, and right now our task is to strengthen our state so that none of Russia’s five scenarios for expanding the war through northern Ukraine succeeds,” he said.

Europe needs to learn from Ukraine, move ‘much faster’ to respond to challenges, Pavel says

Pavel also warns against Europe losing out through “bureaucratic obstacles.”

He points to Ukraine’s ability to innovate and live test new solutions, such as drones, within days, going through procurement and production to an accelerated timeline.

“Ukraine has demonstrated not only determination and heroism, but also unbelievable capacity to adjust, to innovate, to change.

It is something that we in Europe have lost through many regulatory measures that are necessary in peacetime, but of course in conflict you have to be … flexible and achieve the results in shortest possible time. …

I visited Ukraine a number of times, and also companies producing drones. They are producing them in a vast variety of versions, sending them straight to the frontline, testing in days, and having feedback in companies again in days. So the pace goes well beyond what we can achieve in peacetime. …

If we want to succeed in any potential future conflict, we have to have the procedures that will be much faster than that we have today, because otherwise we will be losing the conflict on bureaucratic obstacles.”

He compares it to Europe “having all the ingredients for a great meal, but we still don’t have a recipe.”

And that ends his session.

In a short Q&A, Pavel gets asked about the role of AI and technology more broadly.

He says it is “beyond any doubt that technology will be the weapon of the future,” as he points out to Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi focusing on this issue during their talks in China this week.

“I think we have to take it seriously, because mainly China is our is doing tremendous progress in this, and experience from both Ukraine and the Middle East shows that technological superiority can be a true game changer.”

‘Peace in Europe no longer default,’ Czechia’s Pavel says

In a stark warning, Pavel – a retired Nato general – warns that “peace in Europe can no longer be treated as the default state of affairs.”

“It must once again be actively protected, defended and maintained. The lesson of this moment is not that Europe is alone it is that Europe needs to be strong enough to stand on its own when needed.”

He warns that Europe needs to pull all the levers to get itself into the best position, as “history will simply not wait for Europe to become ready.”

“We must act swiftly,” he says.

‘If Ukraine is forced into bad peace, we will all live with consequences for decades,’ Pavel warns

Pavel turns to Ukraine, stressing that “supporting Ukraine is not a charity,” but “a direct investment in Europe’s own security.”

“If Ukraine is forced into a bad peace, we all will live with the consequences for decades,” he warns.

EU and Nato should align priorities to help Europe step up its defence, Pavel says

Pavel also stresses the need to bring the EU and Nato closer, as Brussels “has instruments that Nato does not have: funding, infrastructure, and industrial policies” that can work as policy tools to help with defence preparations.

“I am convinced that these two sets of instruments should be connected. Nato and European Union are not competitors in European security. They should function as complementary pillars.”

He gives a specific example of Nato working with the EU to modernise “routes, ports, bridges and airfields” that are critical for moving forces across Europe.

“The task is to make sure that the two plans overlap; that Nato’s military requirements guide EU investments, and the EU investments strengthen Nato deterrence.”

He pointedly says that such plans should include Canada, Norway, and the UK, as “indispensable European security actors.”

‘No time to lose’ as capabilities, not spending, are key for Europe’s ability to defend itself, Pavel says

Pavel says that Europe “has already made significant progress in defence spending,” but warns that “credible defence is not built on spending levels alone.”

“We need to work hard to strengthen our strategic enablers and close critical gaps in areas such as strategic airlift, air and missile defence, intelligence, logistics, or military mobility. There is no time to lose.”

‘Many assumptions for old security architecture are no longer valid,’ Czech president warns

Pavel begins by saying that his repeated warnings that Europe needs to focus on its political will, industrial capacity and technological capacity “remain fully valid; if anything, it has become even more urgent today.”

He says it is clear that Europe “must assume greater responsibility for our own defence, not because we are told so by Washington, but because it is in our own strategic and vital interest.”

He says that as “debates about the future scale of America’s conventional military presence in Europe are becoming more pronounced, Europe must be prepared for this reality.”

“This doesn’t mean that Europe should turn away from the United States – just the opposite. Nato remains the foundation of our collective defence, and the transatlantic bond remains essential for our own security – but we must be honest [that] many assumptions supporting the old security architecture are no longer valid.”

The Globsec Forum in Prague is now under way.

Czechia’s Pavel is on stage for his opening address.

I will bring you the key lines.

Morning opening: Dobré ráno from Prague

Jakub Krupa

in Prague

Dobré ráno, or good morning from Prague.

Over 2,000 state officials, foreign policy and security experts from Europe and beyond are meeting in the Czech capital for the GLOBSEC Forum 2026. And there is no shortage of issues to cover.

Boats cruise the Vltava river during the Navalis celebrations, with Prague Castle in the background, in Prague, Czech Republic. Photograph: Martin Divíšek/EPA

From the latest drone incidents in the Baltics to broader security situation in Ukraine and Europe – and this part of Europe in particular – to broader global questions on energy, geopolitics, AI, and the state of the transatlantic alliance, there will be plenty of things to cover.

We will hear from the Czech president, Petr Pavel, the European Commission’s vice-president, Henna Virkunen, and the former Nato secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, among others just as Nato’s foreign ministers gather in Sweden for their ministerial meeting today and tomorrow.

Last night, Pavel warned that Russia will continue to be Europe’s main security threat for decades, as the continent wakes up from being overreliant on US protection and needs to radically bolster its own defence as a new global order of competing superpowers takes shape.

I will bring you all the key lines here.

Elsewhere, I will bring you the latest on Ukraine, the said drone incidents in the Baltics, and all other relevant news from across the continent.

It’s Thursday, 21 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.

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UK News

Driver killed in Bedford train crash named

Published

2 months ago

June 21, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.

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UK News

Spain v Saudi Arabia: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026

Published

2 months ago

June 21, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.

Oyarzabal profile

Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.

“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “

News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.

“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.

“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”

Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.

Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.

The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.

The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.

An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.

In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.

For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:

“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.

“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”

Saturday’s match reports here.

The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same ⁠team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.

“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are ⁠missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against ‌Cape Verde.

“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you ‌should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.

“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.

“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.

“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”

The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”

Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.

The teams – Lamine Yamal starts

Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.

Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.

Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?

Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.

Al-Aqidi profile

Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat

The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.

The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.

Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.

“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.

Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.

Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.

A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.

Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP

Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?

Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.

Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.

“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”

A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.

“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”

We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.

The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.

Lamine Yamal profile

Preamble

Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.

Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.

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