Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held a phone conversation on January 6 with the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Mačínka. According to Sybiha, the discussion was “very substantive and constructive,” with significant attention given to the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Political Dialogue and Strategic Partnership
During the talks, Sybiha congratulated Mačínka on his appointment and thanked the Czech Republic for its consistent support of Ukraine on the international stage. The necessity of strengthening the political dialogue between the foreign ministries of both countries was emphasized, with a particular focus on mutual respect and strategic partnership. The minister highlighted that Ukraine and the Czech Republic remain reliable allies cooperating under challenging conditions.
“We agreed to turn the page on recent exchanges of statements and to enhance our political dialogue at the level of foreign ministries based on mutual respect and strategic partnership. Ukraine and the Czech Republic are true friends and allies,” the minister stated.
Sybiha also informed his Czech counterpart about Ukraine’s interest in further defense cooperation with the Czech Republic, as well as the active participation of the Czech Republic in the reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure. The security situation at the front and the recent brutal attacks by Russia on Ukraine’s energy system were also discussed.
Plans for Cooperation and Upcoming Visit
According to Sybiha, the parties agreed on the necessity of continuing joint efforts to end the aggression of the Russian Federation. The minister invited Petr Mačínka to visit Ukraine, and he confirmed his intention to make the visit in the near future.
In turn, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement from Mačínka regarding the prospects for future cooperation with Ukraine. As reported by the Czech official, the parties also paid attention to Czech public opinion regarding Ukrainians living in the country and agreed on the necessity of fostering a positive attitude towards the Ukrainian community in the Czech Republic.
It is worth noting that meetings and negotiations between Ukrainian and Czech diplomats are taking place against the backdrop of recent statements by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Tomio Okamura, who, in his New Year’s speech, opposed providing weapons to Ukraine, calling the war “absolutely senseless.” These words received harsh criticism from the Ukrainian ambassador to the Czech Republic, Vasyl Zvarych, Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk. In particular, the Ukrainian diplomat described Okamura’s statements as “indecent and absolutely unacceptable.”
It should be added that Tomio Okamura, shortly after becoming the Speaker of Parliament, ordered the removal of the Ukrainian flag from the building of the chamber, but the Czech opposition responded by displaying new flags of their parliamentary clubs. In December, a new government was formed in the Czech Republic led by billionaire Andrej Babiš. It is known that the new cabinet may adhere to a less pro-Ukrainian policy than the previous government of Petr Fiala, as Babiš’s party advocates for reducing support for Ukraine and abandoning further arms supplies to Kyiv.