Politics & Economics

The Czech Republic to Close Airspace to Russian Airlines

The Czech Republic will probably ban all Russian air operators from using its airspace, the agency Ria Novosti reports. The move will be the second of its kind in the European Union. In fact, Poland already banned all Russian air operators, the Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has announced. “I have ordered the Cabinet of Ministers to prepare a decree which will result in the closing of Polish airspace for all Russian airlines,” he declared in a Facebook post. Poland is an important transit country for Russian airlines on most of their westbound flights. As they are not allowed to overfly Ukraine, Belarus, and south-western Russia due to the ongoing military activities accompanying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they have been forced to take a detour via Poland. Direct services between Russia and Poland are operated by Aeroflot (from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Warsaw Chopin) and LOT Polish Airlines (from Warsaw to Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg). While Aeroflot will no longer be allowed to serve Poland once the ban enters into force, LOT continues to schedule services to both Russian cities. Britain has already banned Russia’s Aeroflot from flying to the UK — a move which saw Russia retaliate with a tit-for-tat ban on British Airways and blocking British airlines from...

by Prague Morning Feb 25, 2022

Czech PM Fiala Calls for ‘Toughest Sanctions’ Against Russia

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and called for the toughest sanctions to be imposed on the country for its transgressions. In a speech on Thursday, Fiala slammed the “unprovoked invasion” of Ukraine by Russia, calling it an “act of aggression against a sovereign state” which must not go unanswered. “I condemn the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Fiala said, who called on “all Czech citizens in Ukraine to leave the country.” “Our country is not in immediate danger,” he assured concerned citizens, highlighting Czechia’s membership of the European Union and of NATO as primary reasons for its national security. “I will head to the European Council session in Brussels, where I will push for the toughest possible sanctions against Russia,” he added. “We will thoroughly discuss the effects of the aggression and our reaction to it,” Fiala vowed. “I convened the State Security Council, which will address the country’s security in the current situation, preparations for further development, and coordination of further action,” he added. On Thursday morning, the Czech Foreign Ministry warned against any trips to Ukraine and called on Czech citizens to leave Ukraine immediately. Air traffic between the Czech Republic and Ukraine...

by Prague Morning Feb 25, 2022

Czech Government Shut Russian Consulates, Recall Ambassadors, Stop Visas for Russians

The Czech Republic will close Russian consulates in the country and stop issuing visas to Russians apart from humanitarian cases, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Thursday. The country will close two Russian consulates in Brno, and Karlovy Vary and also shut its consulates in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg in Russia, Fiala said. He said the government would also call home its ambassadors to Russia and Belarus for consultations. The moves come after Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Thursday in the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two. Moreover, the minister of the interior, Vít Rakušan, said that the country had a plan in place to take in many thousands of refugees from Ukraine. The Czech president, Miloš Zeman, has called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “crime against peace” and that he had been mistaken in recently saying he believed Russia would not carry out an attack, calling the Kremlin’s move “irrational”. People will gather on Prague’s Wenceslas Square this evening at 5 pm to express their support for Ukraine following the Russian attack. xosotin chelseathông tin chuyển nhượngcâu lạc bộ bóng đá arsenalbóng đá atalantabundesligacầu thủ haalandUEFAevertonfutebol ao vivofutemaxmulticanaisonbetbóng đá world cupbóng đá...

by Prague Morning Feb 24, 2022

President Zeman: Invasion of Ukraine “Crime Against Peace”

Czech President Miloš Zeman, who had in the past promoted warm relations with Moscow, said on Thursday Russia’s attack on Ukraine was a “crime against peace” and required a response through harsh sanctions including cutting the country from the SWIFT international payments system. “It is time to reach for much tougher sanctions than those originally planned, by which I mean above all a sanction in the area of the so-called SWIFT,” Zeman said in a speech. “It is needed to isolate a madman, not just defend against him by words, but by concrete measures.” Zeman also expressed support for Ukraine and its people. He recalled that he and Prime Minister Petr Fiala will attend the NATO summit on Friday. “I believe that the situation will calm down, not by a cowardly compromise, but by a decisive response against the aggressor,” he added. Přečtěte si přepis projevu prezidenta republiky 🇨🇿 Miloše Zemana k občanům České republiky: https://t.co/NwsozAzVLM pic.twitter.com/m2L6FRGd6g — Jiří Ovčáček (@PREZIDENTmluvci) February 24, 2022 Latest People gathered on Prague’s Wenceslas Square and at the Russian Embassy in the city on Thursday to express their support for Ukraine following the Russian attack. A large gathering is organized for 5 o’clock in...

by Prague Morning Feb 24, 2022

600 Czech Troops on Standby for Rapid Deployment at NATO’s Request

The Czech Republic stands ready to rapidly deploy hundreds of soldiers where needed at NATO’s request, Seznam Zprávy news outlet reports. The Czech Ministry of Defence stated that the North Atlantic Alliance is constantly on standby with its collective Rapid Reaction Force, to which Czechia contributes units that change continuously at biannual intervals. The ministry confirmed that Czechia has its units ready in case of need. “By the end of June, Czechia has 180 anti-chemical specialists and about 400 members of the 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade on standby. However, their detachment is not a reaction to the current situation. The soldiers were already preparing for these tasks during the past year,” said Jakub Fajnor from the Ministry of Defence press department. Defence Minister Jana Černochová said on Monday that the deployment of Czech troops in Ukraine is now out of the question. Due to the need for a rapid response to the development of security threats, NATO created the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) a few years ago, which can intervene to help an allied country within a matter of hours. The force consists of approximately 5,000 soldiers at any given time, which support the air, naval and...

by Prague Morning Feb 23, 2022

Czech Officials Denounce Putin’s Decision to Recognize Republics in Eastern Ukraine

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic strongly condemns the decision of the Russian Federation to recognize the independence of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic. “This is a clear violation of the UN Charter, the Minsk Agreements and the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. After the illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea in 2014, this is yet another step by which the Russian Federation has long trampled on the fundamental principles of international law and its own obligations regarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” states the official website. The recognition of the independence of the so-called people’s republics is another step in the escalation of the already tense situation and threatens the security of the whole of Europe. “The Czech Republic, together with its NATO and EU allies, supports international diplomatic efforts to avert aggression against Ukraine and preserve peace. The Czech Republic will respond in unity with its allies. We reaffirm our long-standing, principled support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders,” said minister Jan Lipavsky. “We call on the Russian Federation to reconsider its steps and return to the negotiating table in the interests of...

by Jiří Havel Feb 21, 2022

“The Czech Government is Ready for All Possible Scenarios in Ukraine,” Said PM Fiala

The Czech government is prepared for all development scenarios in Ukraine, including the interruption of energy supplies, said Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) in a video posted on social media on Saturday. The solution to the situation, according to him, is not war, but even thoughtless concessions. From the side of Russia, he sees an effort to make the Czech Republic once again a weak and divided country, which he will be able to influence. The basic condition for dissuading Russia from aggression is to show unity and an uncompromising attitude. Any war conflict, according to Fiala, would undoubtedly have repercussions on the Czech Republic as well. “I would like to assure you that our government is prepared for this situation, that we can manage it together. We are prepared for all scenarios, whether there is a power cut or a refugee wave,” the Prime Minister said. He noted that no one wants such a development, and that is why the government is trying at the international level to resolve the critical situation in a diplomatic and peaceful way. At the same time, he stressed the need for unity and firmness in matters of principle. He recalled the historical experience...

by Prague Morning Feb 19, 2022

Zeman: “The Russian Invasion Is a Lie of the US Secret Services”

Western-touted assertions about Russia’s plans to launch ‘an invasion of Ukraine’ on February 16 led to another fiasco for US intelligence agencies, President Milos Zeman of the Czech Republic said in an interview with the Mlada Fronta Dnes newspaper, published on Thursday. During an interview with the newspaper “Mlada fronta Dnes”, Zeman compared those allegations to the United States’ past claims about Iraq and Afghanistan. “My view [of the situation around Ukraine is that] there will be no war because Russians aren’t insane to launch an operation that will cause them more damage than benefits,” Zeman pointed out. “As for US intelligence agencies, this is their third fiasco. The first was the war in Iraq, where no weapons of mass destruction were found. Afghanistan was the second one, as [they] claimed that the Taliban would never take Kabul. And now this is the third one,” the Czech president noted. Zeman said that five days before February 16, he had received a secret message about alleged preparations for a Russian invasion of Ukraine. “It came from the CIA. I don’t ask the CIA what sources of information it has. But given the three [fiascos], I doubt the quality of these sources,”...

by Karolina Kubičková Feb 18, 2022

Hřib Meets With Mayors of Kyiv and Warsaw to Express Support for Ukraine

Kyiv Mayor, UDAR leader Vitali Klitschko has met with Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who arrived in Kyiv to express their support and solidarity with Ukraine, as well as discuss Kyiv’s accession to the Pact of Free Cities with Klitschko. During the meeting, Klitschko noted that the visit of the mayors of European cities is very important for Ukrainians and for him personally. “Today is a very dramatic moment for my country. Ukraine, for all the time of independence, has never faced such a threat. A threat to its statehood, territorial integrity, its citizens. We are a peaceful state and a peaceful people. And we do not threaten anyone,” Klitschko said. “But we will protect our freedom and independence, our land from any aggressor. And today the support of every partner, every friend of Ukraine and Kyiv is important to us. And the wider and more powerful such support is, the more deterrence there will be for Russia to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the likelihood of which is very high today,” he added. He thanked his colleagues and noted that the very fact of their visit to Kyiv at such a dramatic moment is...

by Prague Morning Feb 16, 2022

Babiš Re-Elected as ANO Chairman, Mulls Presidential Candidacy

Former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš was re-elected as chairman of the ANO party despite defeat in October’s elections. On Saturday’s party congress, Babiš reaffirmed that ANO, affiliated to Renew Europe group, would remain a “catch-all” political party and spoke about his possible presidential candidacy. Babiš was the only candidate for the post of ANO chairman and received 76 of 95 votes. During his speech, he criticised the current five-party ruling coalition and media. “The entire carpet-bombing of our movement was carried out with the loud support and applause of many journalists,” Babiš said. “They talked about the end of democracy, about being dragged to East, about interfering in police investigations and other and other nonsense that never happened,” former PM added. Babiš also mentioned the upcoming presidential elections but did not say whether he would run in them. However, he said that the ANO party must field a candidate to unite society and represent the Czech Republic well abroad. The next presidential elections will take place in 2023. As the president is elected directly by the citizens, Babiš’s popularity among the public could propel him to the post. In October’s elections, the ANO party received 27.1 % of votes, only...

by Prague Morning Feb 14, 2022

Inflation in Czech Republic Exceeded Eurozone Average in January

While in previous months the level of inflation in the Czech Republic was largely equivalent to that in the EU, in January the consumer price index exceeded the eurozone’s average, the Czech Statistics Agency announced on Monday. Eurozone inflation was at 5.1 percent in January. Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, it reached 9.9 percent. It is expected that inflation next year could be between 8.6 and 10.9 percent on average and as high as 11 percent. This is due to higher energy prices, and change in price lists of goods and services and the expected rise in food prices. In December, annual inflation was 6.6 percent, and according to CZSO data, annual inflation was above ten percent last time in July 1998. “It is difficult to estimate because prices are constantly changing in the economy. This year, it is all the more complicated, as price pressures are very widespread and the revaluation of January prices can be really significant, “said Jakub Seidler, chief economist of the Czech Banking Association. He says that a 30% year-on-year increase in electricity and gas prices can be expected, as well as a significant increase in food prices. “It is thus very likely that year-on-year...

by Karolina Kubičková Feb 14, 2022

Prague Will Officially Support Ukraine’s Accession to EU

The Czech Republic is preparing to sign a Declaration on Ukraine’s European Prospect in support of the country’s EU accession. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told this in an interview with Yevropeiska Pravda, a Ukrainian media outlet. “We are currently negotiating on the issue (of signing a declaration, – ed.) with Ukraine. And I am very optimistic about the results of these talks,” Lipavský said. He stressed that if Ukraine does not stop carrying out reforms, joining the EU will become a “simple documentary formality.” Lipavský also underlined the most crucial areas, subjected to the reforms. “The rule of law, judicial reform, anti-corruption spheres. This is a difficult task, yes, but we will repeat it again and again. Once you have a milieu that EU companies feel safe in Ukraine, you will see the robust growth of the Ukrainian economy,” the minister assured. Seven EU countries have already signed Declaration on Ukraine’s European Prospect – Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Croatia, and Slovenia. February 7-8, the Slavkov trilateral – Foreign Ministers Jan Lipavský (the Czech Republic), Alexander Schallenberg (Austria), and Ivan Korčok (Slovakia) – paid a joint visit to Ukraine to coordinate policies on deterring Russian full-fledged invasion. The Czech Republic assured Ukraine of support...

by Gabriella Burgess Feb 12, 2022

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