News: Friday, July 5th, 2024

PM Fiala: Orban does not represent Czech or EU interests in Moscow

Viktor Orban does not represent Czech or EU interests in Moscow nor does he have any mandate to negotiate on behalf of either, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote on social media site X following the Hungarian prime minister's bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Mr Fiala reiterated that the Czech position on the war in Ukraine is clear in that Putin is the aggressor and that Czechia stands with Ukraine.

Hungary took over the rotating six-month presidency of the EU Council on Monday and soon afterwards met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday. According to Reuters, Mr Orban described his trip to Moscow as a continuation of the "peace mission" which he started with his visit to the Ukrainian capital. Orban arrived in Moscow on Friday morning to hold talks with Putin and following the meeting, the Russian News Agency TASS reported that Putin had said the two had discussed possibilities for settling the war in Ukraine. The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, emphasised that Orban's trip is a bilateral visit without an EU mandate.

Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Hungary maintains good relations with the country, refusing to provide military aid to Kyiv and criticising the EU's sanctions on Russia. Orban is one of the few Western leaders to have met with Putin since the beginning of the invasion. Before the meeting, Orban said that Hungary is the last European country that can still have a dialogue with both Russia and Ukraine.

Czech PM doesn't expect change in relations or foreign policy after UK Labour win

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has congratulated the new UK leader Keir Starmer on social media site X, saying he looks forward to meeting him at the European Political Community Summit which is taking place in the UK on 18 July.

In a separate statement made on Friday morning through a government spokesperson, he said that he expects the excellent relations between Czechia and the UK to continue following Labour's landslide victory in the British parliamentary elections and that he does not expect any major changes in UK foreign policy. He pointed to the fact that Labour leader Keir Starmer, who will replace outgoing Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has repeatedly expressed his firm support for Ukraine against Russia. Mr Fiala also said that the Czech government wants to continue developing and deepening Czech-British relations and that he believes the two countries will continue cooperating in specific areas, such as in the field of small modular reactors (SMRs) for producing nuclear energy.

The UK parliamentary elections took place on Thursday, with the Labour victory becoming clear early on Friday morning when the former opposition party passed the key 326 Westminster seat threshold needed to gain a majority in parliament and run the country.

Around 30,000 people attend Velehrad pilgrimage for Cyril and Methodius Day

Around 30,000 people from Czechia and abroad took part in the 25th annual pilgrimage festival in the Moravian town of Velehrad in the Zlín Region on Friday, marking the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Greek missionaries who brought Christianity to the Czech lands. The Days of the People of Goodwill, as the celebration is called, culminated on Friday with an open-air pilgrimage mass on the square in front of the Velehrad Basilica, celebrated by Olomouc Archbishop Josef Nuzík.

The two-day event officially began on Thursday evening with a prayer in the Velehrad Basilica and a charity benefit concert, which raised CZK 1.025 million and drew around 20,000 attendees. Every 5 July in Czechia is a public holiday commemorating the two saints.

17th All Sokol Slet closes in Prague with second mass performance

Around 13,500 people performed in the second round of mass exercises at Prague’s Fortuna arena (formerly Eden Stadium) on Friday afternoon, officially closing the 17th All Sokol Slet, a gathering of Sokol branches from all around the world held every six years.

The mass performances, the first instalment of which took place on Thursday evening, are the culmination and highlight of Slet week, which began on Sunday with a parade through the Czech capital and a performance at the National Theatre, and continued with cultural and sporting events throughout the week. Both Thursday's and Friday's performances were aired live on Czech Television.

Sokol members opened the second round of performances on Friday by forming the word "spojujeme“ (we connect) in huge letters on the stadium grounds and ended it by coming together in the shape of a giant tree, meant to represent the tree of life.

Sokol is a Czech physical fitness movement with branches all over the world. Since its inception more than 160 years ago, it has been one of the main drivers of Czech social life. The Slets are the highlight of the Sokol calendar.

Krejčíková only Czech remaining in Wimbledon singles

Barbora Krejčíková is the only Czech left in the singles tournaments at Wimbledon after her fellow Czech tennis players Kateřina Siniaková, Brenda Fruhvirtová, Marie Bouzková and Tomáš Macháč failed to advance to the third round in their matches on Thursday. Krejčíková, currently ranked world No. 32 in women's singles by the WTA, was the only Czech to win in the second round, beating the USA's Katie Volynets 7:6, 7:6.

In the third round on Saturday, she will next face Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who defeated world No. 6 and Wimbledon defending champion Markéta Vondroušová in the first round on Centre Court on Tuesday.

Outcome uncertain for Czechs in Wimbledon women's doubles as games suspended due to rain

Czech Marie Bouzková lost her doubles match with Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-3, 6-4 against the French duo of Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia at Wimbledon on Friday. Whether her compatriots Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková will advance to the next round is uncertain as their matches, also scheduled for Friday, were both suspended partway through due to rain.

Krejčíková and her German partner Laura Siegemund were a game away from victory when the weather put a stop to play, leading 7-6(1), 5-4 against the British pair Eden Silva and Samantha Murray Sharan. Meanwhile, Krejčíková's former doubles partner Kateřina Siniaková's match with the American Taylor Townsend had barely got off the ground before it was suspended due to the bad weather. Still only in the first set, Siniaková and Townsend were however leading over the Australian Olivia Gadecki and the French Elixane Lechemia 2-1.

Weather forecast

Saturday will see high temperatures reaching above 31 degrees Celsius in some parts of Czechia, with air humidity increasing throughout the day. Most of the country will be hit by thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening that could include torrential rain, hail and 70 kph wind in some places.