News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Prague for talks with Czech top officials ahead of next week's NATO summit. He was received with military honours at Prague Castle shortly after 8 pm CET and went straight into a meeting with President Petr Pavel.

At a late-night press briefing following the talks, the Czech president said Ukraine could count on continued Czech support and solidarity, both in terms of military assistance in its counter-offensive and support for its ambition to join Western structures. Mr. Pavel said that Ukraine was fighting for what Czechia itself had striven for not so long ago – the right to freedom and to choose where it belonged. He said that not long ago, Czechia too had lobbied for support to be allowed to join the democratic fold of nations. "It is inconceivable that Russia should win this war, for that would be a defeat of the values that we share," President Pavel said.

He expressed admiration for the bravery of the Ukrainian people in defending their freedom and the determination and courage of their president, who was doing his best to win support for his country’s fast-track admission to NATO and the EU. Mr. Pavel said that while Ukraine could not count on an invitation to join NATO at the Vilnius summit (July 11-12), Prague would voice clear support for its goal and hopes to see accession talks started by the end of this year so that the country could join the alliance when the war ends.

The Czech president said that the Czech-Ukrainian talks were increasingly also about cooperation, noting that the reconstruction of Ukraine should be seen as an opportunity for Czech companies.

President Zelensky thanked the Czech president, government and the Czech people for their support of Ukraine, both material and moral, and for the high number of refugees the country has taken in. He said he realized that it would be difficult to win unanimous support for his country’s ambition, but emphasized that now was the time for unity and courage. He also warned against Russian disinformation and propaganda.

On Friday the Ukrainian leader is due to meet with Prime Minister Petr Fiala and the speakers of both houses of Parliament before flying to Turkey.

Doctors have recorded 921 cases of Lyme disease in the first half of this year, almost a tenth more than last year, according to the State Health Institute. The health authorities ascribe this to the significantly higher incidence of infected ticks around the country and have called on people spending time outdoors to be aware, dress appropriately and use repellents in wooded areas with high grass. Ticks can also cause encephalitis, a serious disease affecting the nervous system. Although there is a vaccine for the latter relatively few Czechs get inoculated.

A Czech military doctor who allegedly groped a female hygienist in South Korea in April has been fined 170,000 crowns, according to the news site Lidovky.cz. The Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed the news, saying that if the local prosecutor does not appeal, the decision will become final in a week's time, and the doctor - Lieutenant Colonel Ivo Kašpárek - will be able to leave South Korea. He has been in detention in the country since April when he was accused of having slapped A South Korean hygienist on the backside while she was taking the temperature of passengers as part of anti-Covid measures after they landed at the airport in Seoul.

Heavy storms brought down trees and flooded homes in the southern and eastern parts of the country on Wednesday, the ctk nbews agency reported. Firefighters were called to dozens of emergencies working late into the night to clear roads from fallen trees and pump water from flooded gardens and cellars. Rail transport was disrupted on several routes by trees blocking the tracks. The extent of the damage is not yet known.