Final Word from Wednesday, May 27, 2026

U.S. Amb. Nicholas Merrick said in California in Jan. that part of his job is to be an "accountability partner" who helps Czechs keep their promises. Pres. Petr Pavel goes a step further and tries to act more as a moral conscience. He lamented in the Financial Times yesterday that half of the 18 participating countries have pulled out of the Czech ammunition program since Andrej Babiš returned to office in Dec. of last year. In The Guardian on Fri., Pavel spoke about taking a tougher military stance toward Russia and about a "final push" on U.S. and European sanctions to bring Russia to the negotiating table. In simple terms, Pavel wants to use as much military and economic firepower against Russia as possible before Ukraine is forced to make a deal. Both Donald Trump and Babiš, at least officially, are more interested in a deal sooner than later. Pavel's two interviews can be seen as preemptive strikes that allow him to take the moral high ground once the Nato summit, in his absence, doesn't do enough to help Ukraine. [ Czech Republic Ankara Turkey ambassador ]