Fiala at 1968 ceremony: Will to help Ukraine must continue

The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, says that the willingness in Czechia to help Ukraine must continue. He made the comment at an annual ceremony at the Czech Radio building in Prague commemorating the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Mr. Fiala said that 54 years ago the Soviets had ended the liberalisation of the Prague Spring period. This year the Russians invaded Ukraine with a view to stripping it of its independence and freedom, he said.

The PM said the annual commemoration at the Czech Radio building had never been so topical as it was this year, with Russian tanks currently rolling over another state.

The minister of the interior, Vít Rakušan, said Russia had imperialistic tendencies, with nothing having changed in that regard since the invasion of Czechoslovakia.