Temporary occupation of Ukrainian territories by Russia should not prevent Ukraine from the integration into NATO of the EU, Czech President Petr Pavel has said.

"Obviously, we cannot accept that the territories occupied by Russia will be recognized as Russian, because that would mean that we would go against the principles on which our societies are built. We would probably accept that part of Ukraine will be temporarily occupied. Such a situation should not prevent us from going on with Ukrainian integration into NATO or the EU and pushing on restoring their full sovereignty in the foreseeable future," he said at the NATO Public Forum in Washington on Wednesday.

The Czech leader emphasized that Ukraine needs partners' support and "supporting Ukraine is a matter of principle."

"We want to live in a world where also smaller countries are protected, where they have the guarantees to live up to their aspirations. And that's why we believe that it is necessary for our own interests to defend Ukraine," he said.