PM defends president’s decision to travel to Moscow

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has defended the president’s decision to travel to Moscow on May 9 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WW II and to honour those who died fighting against the Nazi threat. On Tuesday, Mr Sobotka said he would not try and intervene – reacting to an appeal by the former speaker of the lower house, opposition MP Miroslava Němcová of the Civic Democrats, who has criticized the visit and the president as the only EU head-of-state so far due to attend on the anniversary in Moscow, given Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. The Czech prime minister indicated that the visit by Mr Zeman would not change the Czech Republic’s stance on Ukraine and sanctions against Russia and Vladimir Putin’s regime. In the past, the Washington Post slammed the Czech president’s approach to Russia, calling him a “virtual mouthpiece” for Mr Putin.

Author: Jan Velinger