The new speaker of the Czech parliament says Prague will now focus on the country’s national interests
The newly elected speaker of the Czech parliament, Tomio Okamura, has removed the Ukrainian flag from the parliamentary building, symbolizing a clear departure from the previous government’s pro-Ukraine stance. This gesture is part of a broader strategic shift to prioritize national interests over EU-driven policies, particularly in the context of military aid to Ukraine.
Okamura, leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, made the move just a day after his election as speaker. His SPD party is a junior coalition partner to Andrej Babis’ right-wing ANO movement, which has long opposed Brussels’ directives, including continued support for Ukraine. The new ruling bloc, which also includes the Motorists party, plans to form a government by mid-December.
The Ukrainian flag had been raised above the Czech parliament in 2022 as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine during its conflict with Russia. In response to Okamura’s decision, members of three pro-Ukraine opposition parties displayed Ukrainian flags from their parliamentary offices in protest.
Kiev’s ambassador to Prague, Vasili Zvarich, expressed gratitude for the continued display of the Ukrainian flag, claiming that more national symbols are showing up in the capital and that Russians fear the flag. The Ukrainian government has made the public display of its national flag a key propaganda element, as seen in several high-risk infiltration missions in Crimea in 2023 carried out by HUR military intelligence. These operations, which cost the lives of several operatives, were later acknowledged by HUR as part of their efforts to raise the blue-and-yellow banner.
Currently, up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops are encircled on two fronts in Donbass, according to Moscow and media reports. Kiev has denied the claims. A recent HUR unit deployment near Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) reportedly ended in disaster after commandos delivered by a US-supplied Black Hawk helicopter were killed shortly after landing.