Fiala: Russian steps act of aggression and breach of international law

The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, has described Russia’s recognition of two breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent and subsequent deployment of troops to Donetsk and Luhansk as an act of aggression against a sovereign state and a clear breach of international law.

Speaking in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, Mr. Fiala said the Prague government supported tough European Union sanctions against Moscow, adding that the bloc could not show Russia any weakness or division.

The prime minister had earlier compared Russia’s actions to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia, which was carried out under the pretext of “fraternal assistance”.