Czech president says association agreement with EU best way to help Ukraine

An association agreement with the EU is the only way for Ukraine to become an equal partner for Russia, Czech President Miloš Zeman said in an interview for the news site aktualne.cz. The president said Russia had cold-bloodedly abused the weakness of Ukraine and the Ukrainian government and mainly the unfortunate language law which had predictably fueled protests. It is now our duty to help strengthen Ukraine and I firmly believe that an association agreement with the EU is the best way to do that, Mr. Zeman said. The Czech president also expressed the view that the Ukrainian government should get rid of "fascist extremists" and federalize the country.