President Zeman in Christmas message to nation: support for Ukraine must continue

In his last Christmas message to the nation, President Miloš Zeman emphasized the need for continued support for Ukraine in helping the country to defend itself against Russia’s aggression. Mr. Zeman , who earlier acknowledged that his pro-Russian stance had been a mistake, said the country’s war against Ukraine was a global security threat and it was essential to continue with international support. "I believe that pressure from the democratic countries will sooner or later force Russia to leave the territory of Ukraine," the president said.

On the home front, Miloš Zeman spoke about the need to counter inflation which he said had become a serious problem. He said that the government would inevitably have to heed economists' advice to raise taxes and noted that he himself had tried to curb inflation by appointing opponents of interest rate hikes to the Czech National Bank's board.

Recapping his political career, Zeman said that as president he has mainly tried to defend Czech national interests and in view of the country’s export-dependent economy had tried to foster good relations with as many countries as possible.