Czech PM: EU must work together against Russia

The European Union must work together against Russia, even though the member states legitimately have different stances on many issues, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote in an article published on the Brussels website Politico on Monday. He said the Czech presidency, which Czechia took over from France on Friday, will take into account differences in opinion, but that unity is needed in order to achieve progress.

EU countries are not united on further sanctions against Russia, with Hungary in particular trying to block any extension of the sanctions in recent weeks. Member states are also not of one mind about ending the supply of Russian gas to Europe, with some member states refusing to consider it, citing economic impacts. Mr. Fiala said that ending dependence on Russian oil and gas is vitally important, as Russia uses its energy supplies to Europe as a weapon, for example, by stopping gas deliveries to some countries but not others.