Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told ambassadors on Monday (26 August) that Russian attempts to undermine European unity and security were having some effect, while Prime Minister Petr Fiala called for a deeper discussion on how to counter such threats.
Speaking at an annual meeting of Czech ambassadors on Monday, Lipavski (Pirate Party, Greens/European Free Alliance) highlighted the Russian threat.
“Our unity in this support is crucial for Ukraine. We know it, and Russia knows it, which is why Russia continues to try to undermine the unity of our society,” Lipavsky warned.
In other words, maintaining European unity is crucial not only for Ukraine, but for the entire continent.
The minister also acknowledged that Russian efforts to weaken this unity go beyond theory and have already achieved some success.
“Unfortunately, in our region Moscow has achieved some promising results on its own,” he acknowledged, pointing to the effectiveness of Russia's strategy of exploiting political divisions and social tensions, especially in Central Europe, where political polarization is particularly sharp.
“Finding ways to increase social cohesion and resilience will be a major challenge for all democratically minded politicians in the coming years,” he added.
These opinions were also expressed by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS, ECR), who attended the ambassadors' meeting.
“We cannot avoid a deeper discussion with our partners on how to approach countries where Russian influence has reached a level that threatens not only the unity of the EU and NATO but also our security,” Fiala said, without naming any specific countries, but calling for a realistic and pragmatic approach.
Fiala also highlighted the Czech Republic's efforts to implement stricter security measures, such as restricting the movement of Russian diplomats to visa-receiving countries. As Euraactive previously reported, the Czech Republic has repeatedly proposed such restrictions, but to no avail.
In contrast to the Czech position, Hungary has relaxed entry conditions for Russians and Belarusians.
Hungary recently introduced a simplified visa regime allowing Russians and Belarusians to enter the country with minimal security checks, a move that has raised concerns among neighboring countries and EU officials who fear it could provide a back door for Russian spies to infiltrate the bloc.
But Hungary has denied any concerns, insisting security within the Schengen area is guaranteed.
(Editing by Daniel Ek and Martina Monti)
