Macinka says return to ties with Russia difficult amid ongoing aggression

A return to normal relations with Russia is highly complicated as long as Moscow continues its aggression against Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told foreign ambassadors in Prague on Wednesday. He said the Czech government supports diplomatic efforts to end the war and thanked Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha for hosting him during a recent visit to Kyiv. Macinka said Czechia wants to restore a standard level of relations with China, comparable to ties maintained by many European Union states. He stressed that Europe and the transatlantic space remain Czechia’s key geopolitical framework and said foreign policy would move away from moralising rhetoric toward pragmatic diplomacy, with greater emphasis on economic ties, including in Asia and Africa.