Pompeo warns of Russian and Chinese threat in meetings with Czech leaders

The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, held talks with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and spoke to the Senate on Wednesday as part of his visit to the Czech Republic. After his meeting with the prime minister, Mr. Pompeo said that Russia is “trying to destroy [Western] democracies and break [the NATO] alliance”. Meanwhile, in his Senate address, the US secretary of state criticised China and called it a threat to the Czech Republic.

Speaking at a press conference earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Pompeo warned Czechia that entering into partnership with Russian or Chinese state companies when constructing the new bloc of the Dukovany nuclear power plant would “weaken [Czech] national security”.

In his address to the Czech Senate, Mr. Pompeo said that the Chinese Communist Party is carrying out influence operations aimed at stealing industrial know-how and praised the speaker of the upper-house Miloš Vystrčil for preparing a visit to Taiwan despite Chinese criticism.

Mr. Pompeo will be meeting with President Miloš Zeman later on Wednesday.