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Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský is in Kyiv on his fourth visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion nearly three years ago. His trip comes a day after Russia launched a powerful medium-range missile at Ukraine.

On Friday Mr. Lipavský met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to discuss the effectiveness of Czech aid to Ukraine and the country's immediate needs. He also visited grounds that are being cleared of mines in Myla near Kyiv, an activity that Czechia is supporting financially, and toured Ochmatdyt children's hospital, which was severely damaged by a Russian air strike in July.

Czechia has been a key ally of Ukraine, providing heavy weapons early in the war and initiating EU-wide efforts to source artillery ammunition for Kyiv. The Czech Foreign Minister has also pushed for tighter restrictions on Russian diplomats in Europe.

A new opinion poll carried out by NMS Market Research agency suggests that the opposition ANO Party would receive 35.3% of the vote in a general election held in November. This is an improvement of 2.4 percentage points on the previous poll carried out in October, the survey indicates.

Mayors and Independents would place second with 11.1%, followed by the Civic Democrats with 10%. The Pirate Party and the opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Communists would also cross the 5 percent threshold needed to win seats in the lower house.

Passenger car production in Czechia between January and October grew by 6.6% year-on-year, reaching 1.239 million vehicles, according to data released by the Automobile Industry Association on Thursday. However, the pace of production has slowed down compared to the start of the year.

Production of battery-powered cars dropped by 20% year-on-year to 127,222 units, making up 10.3% of total production, compared to last year's 13.6% share.

Toyota saw the highest surge in production, increasing output by 25% to 191,206 vehicles in the first 10 months of 2023, while Škoda Auto, the country’s largest carmaker, experienced a 5.7% rise, producing 763,685 vehicles. Meanwhile, Hyundai experienced a slight decline, manufacturing 284,250 cars-2,350 fewer than last year.

Survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church have called on the Czech government to reject a newly signed agreement with the Vatican. They criticize the deal, particularly its provisions expanding confessional secrecy, which they believe could obstruct justice. The treaty, signed in October by Prime Minister Petr Fiala (Civic Democratic Party) and Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, still requires parliamentary approval and presidential ratification. In an open letter, survivors argued that the agreement could shield abusers by extending secrecy to "pastoral workers," who can be designated by the Church without clear criteria. They demand the agreement be suspended until victims' rights are fully addressed.