Czech president visits Kyiv amid worsening energy crisis
Editor's note: The story is being updated.
Czech President Petr Pavel arrived in Kyiv on Jan. 16 for talks with his counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, as Ukraine grapples with an energy crisis caused by Russian attacks.
Pavel and Zelensky will discuss ways "to advance our strategic partnership, defense cooperation, and peace efforts," said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who welcomed Pavel upon his arrival.
The news follows days of sustained Russian drone and missile attacks against the energy grid in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, leaving citizens without heat and electricity amid freezing temperatures.
Ukrainian authorities have declared a state of emergency to tackle the consequences and alleviate humanitarian challenges facing the population.
Pavel, who first visited the western city of Lviv on Jan. 15 before heading to the capital, underscored Czech support for the Ukrainian energy sector.
"At a time when darkness and cold have become a form of pressure, Czechs are operating here not only as entrepreneurs, but above all as partners and allies," the Czech president said on X.
A long-time advocate of continued support for Ukraine, Pavel is visiting Kyiv only a week after Czechia's new foreign minister, Petr Macinka, amid a growing divide in the Central European country's stance on the war.
While Macinka reaffirmed that Prague and Kyiv remain partners, far-right members of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis's new ruling coalition are becoming vocal in their opposition to aiding Ukraine.
