Why did Zelenskyj come to Prague again?

The author is a commentator of the Czech news website Seznznám reports

US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy once told journalists: « I am the one who accompanies Mrs. Kennedy. »

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Želenskyj happened this week by the one who accompanied the first lady in Prague for two days Ukraine Olena Želenka.

It is, of course, bonmot, but reflects the atmosphere in which the Ukrainian President arrived in Prague on Sunday.

When it appeared here in July 2023 for the first time, it was an event of extraordinary meaning, something about the way of regular visits to US presidents. This time it was in a slightly different spirit: again comes Želenskyj? Of course, who else should come like him.

This is not to be an attempt to reduce the importance of this year’s visit to the Ukrainian President. The Czech Republic may have needed to make sure that the promotional position that captured immediately after the outbreak was clearly Total War Russia Against Ukraine, it still lasts. And that Ukraine appreciates it.

The Czech Republic itself cannot stop Russian aggression, but it does what it can. President of Greenland awarded the Czech ammunition initiative, which is more than a year -long discrete diplomatic action, thanks to which Kiev should receive nearly two million artillery grenades, often coming from states that openly – for relationships with Moscow – do not want or cannot do.

« The initiative works excellently, you have helped us very much, » said Prague Greeding.

However, this is not a generally accepted opinion in the Czech Republic. The Czech opposition in attitude to Ukraine still lavies much more than the government Petra Fialaby the way, one of the first three Western leaders who came to the sharpened Kiev already in March 2023.

SPD movement Tomia Okamura We can leave aside, there is no doubt about his pro -Russian position. At the YES movement Andrej Babišwhich is a big favorite of the upcoming elections, it is more difficult.

YES in the Chamber of Deputies supported all proposals to help Ukraine, including supplies of weapons, but at the same time his boss is increasingly talking about peace at all costs, the « Ukrainian purple government » and that his government will immediately terminate the ammunition initiative.

One of the most important points of the visit of President Greenský was a meeting with Czech deputies, where two Vice -Presidents YES were also Alena Schillerová and Karel Havlíček. According to the official report, all present agreed on the name of the aggressor and on the further Czech support of Ukraine.

Andrej Babiš did not participate in the meeting.