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There is a general consensus between Prague and Warsaw on most of the questions related to how Europe should proceed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after a meeting with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw this Friday. Both countries are united in their opinion that the EU and NATO should provide as much support as possible to Ukraine and pursue the toughest sanctions policy towards Russia.

Both sides also agreed to lobby for Ukraine to receive EU candidate status. Mr Fiala said that the Czech Republic will not pay for Russian gas in roubles and, pointing to Hungary’s decision to do so, warned that without a common stance all of Europe will suffer.

The Prague Orthodox Diocese, the chief Orthodox diocese for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, has announced in an internal email that 40 percent of its employees, including all 52 members of its lower clergy, will be made redundant, news site Seznam Zprávy reported on Friday. The Church’s Moravian branch considers the move to be illegal, according to the outlet, which points out that the Church is set to receive more than a billion crowns in restitution money over the next 30 years.

The email states that the move is necessary in view of the overall reduction of costs and a decrease in income. The conflict in the Ukraine is also stated as a reason, but without further explanation, Seznam Zprávy writes. The Church received CZK 280 million from the state in restitution money just two years ago.

The vicar of the Orthodox Church’s Olomouc-Brno Diocese, Bishop Isaiah, condemned the decision as “outrageous, illegal and immoral” in a statement to Seznam Zprávy, accusing the head of the Prague Diocese, Michal Dandár, of acting without the approval of the council of the diocese. According to an unnamed source quoted by the news site, the Orthodox Church is the only church in the Czech Republic that has no approved economic strategy or internal legislature. The source, a former member of the Church who was active in its management of funds, told Seznam Zprávy that he fears further firings will come in the future.

Archbishop Michal Dandár has been the leader of the Prague Diocese since 2014. A former Communist State Security agent, he has come under criticism from members of the Orthodox clergy in recent weeks for his alleged pro-Russian orientation.

There are currently more pressing questions than the issue of whether the Polish government is upholding EU regulations regarding the rule of law, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Friday ahead of his flight to Warsaw where he will be meeting with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki. Mr Fiala said that Poland has been exemplary in defending European values during Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Poland, together with Hungary, has been in the spotlight of EU institutions for several years now due to the concern that it has been breaching the European Union’s own rules regarding the independence of the judiciary, media plurality and academic freedom. Poland is facing the prospect of being cut off from EU funding for this reason.

Questions of security and of whether Europe will actually be able to maintain its freedom, prosperity and independence are currently most important, the Czech prime minister said.

Mr Fiala is hoping to discuss questions relating to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and to find a united position for upcoming EU discussions on the topic, including the possibility of further sanctions. He also wants to talk about how Europe would respond if Russia were to cut off its oil deliveries in a similar way to how it has done so with gas to Poland and Bulgaria a few days ago.

The Czech prime minister also noted that Polish black coal deliveries will be a subject of discussion, as the neighbour state may be forced to limit its deliveries to Czechia in view of the shutting off of Russian coal imports. Mr Fiala said that maintaining coal supplies from Poland is key.

Temperatures are expected to range around 18 degrees Celsius on Saturday with overcast skies and heavy clouds in the western part of the Czech Republic. Meteorologists do not predict any rainfall.