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If countries like Czechia were not providing arms to Ukraine, it would not have ended the war or saved lives, as some have argued, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at a meeting of Czech foreign ambassadors in Prague on Monday. He told the ambassadors that military aid to Ukraine needs to be strengthened rather than reduced, adding that a defence industry forum would be held in Ukraine in the autumn, to which hundreds of leading arms companies from around the world have been invited.

He emphasised the importance of Ukraine's victory and future NATO membership for the rest of Europe, saying that Europe would not be safe until Ukraine was part of the alliance. His speech followed a bilateral meeting with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavský.

The annual meeting of Czech ambassadors was opened by Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Monday morning. The event, which is taking place over three days, is an opportunity for a number of foreign policy, security, consular, EU and economic topics, including the war in Ukraine and its impact on Europe and the world, to be discussed.

Last year, there was still hope that Russia, after failing to achieve practically any of its war aims, would start looking for a way to negotiate, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said in his speech at a meeting of Czech foreign ambassadors in Prague on Monday. However, the opposite has turned out to be the case, he said, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime aiming far beyond the control of Ukraine. Until Russia gets rid of Putinism, which he described as "a mixture of imperialism based on Russian and Soviet colonial history, with references to Orthodox mysticism, and building on the methods of the KGB and the St. Petersburg mafia," whoever sits in the Kremlin will always be intent on suppressing freedoms inside and outside of Russia.

He said that democratic countries need to push Russia out of positions in international organisations and added that Czechia fully supports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace plan, as it is the only way out of the war. The foreign minister also announced that Czechia had been chosen, along with France, to be co-chair of a new group dedicated to the nuclear and radiation safety of Ukraine.

He also commented in his speech on the increasing risk posed by China, which he said was becoming a systemic rival that is trying to change the world order, and remarked on the risk of a Chinese alliance with Russia.

The biggest security threat to Czechia is Russia's imperialistic foreign policy, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said at the opening of a meeting of Czech foreign ambassadors in Prague on Monday. Vigilance is also necessary towards China, which the prime minister said is following the conflict in Ukraine closely with regard to its own ambitions for power.

Mr Fiala also said that Czechia must continue to provide civil and military aid to Ukraine and support its bid for EU and NATO membership, while also preparing for the post-war reconstruction of the country. He also spoke about energy security, saying that a complete transition to American and French fuel for Czechia's nuclear power plants is a key condition for energy independence. He said that Czechia was on track to becoming 100% independent of Russian energy within a matter of months.

The national air force training exercise Resilient Sky begins in Czechia on Monday, where for two weeks all air force units and active reserves throughout the country will participate in a complex two-stage exercise that will last until September 8. The goal of the exercise is to test the skills of air force units and staff in the preparation, planning and execution of operations to protect Czech airspace under the National Air Defence Reinforcement System. The Pardubice Aviation Training Center and the Czech police will also be involved in the event. The army has apologised in advance for the increased noise that is likely to occur as a result of the training.