In an interview with Novinky and Právo, the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, said: "I believe that full restoration of control over the entire territory is not necessary for Ukraine's membership in Nato. If it comes to distinction or the formation of some administrative border, then we will be able to perceive this administrative border as temporary and accept Ukraine into Nato within the limits that it will control at that time."

“If there is a demarcation, even of some administrative border, then we will be able to recognize this administrative border as a temporary state border and allow Ukraine to join NATO with the territory it will control at that moment,” he explained.

Pavel cited Germany as the historical president: at the time of Western German’s accession to Nato in 1955, the Soviet Union continued to control the eastern part.

"Therefore, I believe that there is both a technical and a legal solution to allow Ukraine to join Nato without bringing Nato into conflict with Russia," the Czech president said, adding that it would only be possible after the start of negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

Pavel expects that Ukraine will negotiate peace with Russia in the coming years with the help of the US, China, and the EU as mediators. That means the partial occupation of Ukraine for the foreseeable future, Pavel said, adding the West will not recognize the changes to borders.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly called on partners to issue a membership invitation to Kyiv but concedes that Ukraine will join Nato only after Russia’s full-scale war ends. But despite Zelenskiy's stringent calls for a clear road map and schedule to membership at last year’s Nato summit he has been met with a resounding silence from the alliance, which remains extremely reluctant to admit Ukraine.

More recently, Ukraine has been inching towards ceasefire talks with Russia over the summer as Bankova (Ukraine’s equivalent of the Kremlin) finds itself under increasing pressure from a shortage of men, money and arms. However, following its incursion into Kursk on August 6, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that ceasefire talks are off the table on August 20 for the foreseeable future.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the General Staff to recapture Kursk by October 1, as Russia continues to a major assault on the AFU all along the line of contact in the Donbas.

Pavel said Ukraine and Russia could reach a deal “in the coming years,” but that may mean Ukraine’s territories remain under Russian occupation, however, the West should consider these territories as “temporarily occupied,” the president said.

"I don't think that full restoration of control over the entire territory is a prerequisite," Pavel concluded.