News

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš will meet for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Armenia on Sunday, the Czech News Agency reported. It will be his first in-person meeting with Zelensky since taking office as head of the current Czech government.

The prime minister is travelling to Armenia on May 3 for a summit of the European Political Community, where leaders are due to discuss energy and economic security, the current geopolitical situation and strengthening stability in Europe.

Babiš said he also plans short bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut and Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

The war in Iran and related supply-chain disruptions are gradually pushing up prices of goods and services in the Czech Republic. Analysts warn that if the conflict in the Middle East does not end soon, the country could face a sharp rise in inflation and slower economic growth.

Despite government price caps, the average petrol price at Czech filling stations has risen by more than eight crowns per litre since the end of February, while diesel is ten crowns higher. Expensive fuel and higher costs have already led companies to scale back investment activity. Another concern for the Czech Republic is renewed weakness in the German economy, on which much of Czech industry depends.

The Czech economy grew by 2.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, when the effects of the Iran war were not yet fully felt. Economists say that in the event of a prolonged conflict, growth could slow to around 1.5 percent, while consumer price inflation could accelerate to at least 3 percent from the current 2 percent.

The Czech Republic has denied claims by Russian newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets that it barred Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico from using Czech airspace on his planned trip to Moscow for Victory Day commemorations.

The Czech Foreign Ministry said overflight permission had been granted without delay and called the report false.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have all confirmed denying airspace access to Fico for his visit to Russia next week.

Oscar winner Pavel Talankin's Academy Award is missing after TSA officials at John F Kennedy International Airport refused to let him board a flight to Germany with the statuette. Talankin says he had the Oscar in his carry-on bag for the flight, but airport security made him check it into the luggage compartment saying the award could be used as a weapon. Upon arrival at Frankfurt Airport the statuette could not be found.

Lufthansa airlines, which helped Talankin pack the award in a box for the flight, says their team is doing everything possible to locate it. The film’s director David Borenstein has questioned the decision of security staff, asking whether it had anything to do with the fact that Pavel Talankin is not an international celebrity actor and does not speak fluent English.

Talankin is a Russian primary school teacher who filmed the material for Mr. Nobody Against Putin during classes, documenting the rise of pro-war militarized propaganda in Russian schools. The unique recordings were turned into a Czech–Danish documentary, which won an Oscar for Best Documenary Feature Film.