“The first telephone talk between President Putin and Trump could be a turning point in US-Russian relations, and this is something the Czech government fails to realize,” Jiří Vyvadil said.
He added that Vladimir Putin is the only ally and partner Trump now has, the only leader who is serious about working with the new US president, and that Trump is perfectly aware of this.
“Russia made no fuss about Trump’s decision on migrants saying only that “it is none of our business,” while Western Europeans saw red and the leaders of the ‘old democracies’ fully shared the US opposition’s dislike of the new president. The recent visit to Washington by British Prime Minister Theresa May only proved that. Moscow, for its part, shows that it is ready for a dialogue. Putin has his own strategic interest in this, of course.”
Russia also offers other advanced technologies and easy financing, but Prague is in no hurry to cooperate with Moscow.
“Hungary is the only European country willing to work with Russia. As for the Czech Republic, I believe that after the parliamentary elections in September Prime Minister [Bohuslav] Sobotka will step down and we will have a more pragmatic government,” Jiří Vyvadil said.
“Meanwhile, I don’t think Russia should waste its time discussing any major projects here. Sobotka’s days as a politician are numbered because he is not flexible enough and fails to feel the winds of change blowing from the other side of the Atlantic. The political movement ANO 2011, led by Finance Minister Andrej Babiš, has good chances of winning the September parliamentary elections, and Babiš is likely to become our next prime minister.”
“He is exactly the kind of a pragmatic capable of finding a common language with the Russian and US presidents. He will also be able to breathe new vigor into the business cooperation between the Czech Republic and Russia,” Jiří Vyvadil said in conclusion.
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