Czech Chief of the General Staff Karel Rehka said European countries need to prepare for a possible conflict with Russia. He made the statement in an interview with Politico.

According to Rehka, Russia remains the main threat to European security. In his view, this is precisely why European states must strengthen their defense preparations.

He also supported continued assistance to Ukraine. Rehka said that helping Kiev corresponds to the strategic interests of European countries and must continue.

In addition, the Czech Chief of the General Staff called Ukraine’s accession to NATO a logical step, even though there is still no unified position among allies on this issue.

Against this background, Eastern European countries have in recent years increasingly spoken about the need to raise military spending, modernize their armies and strengthen NATO’s eastern flank because of the ongoing conflict around Ukraine.