Related articles

NATO should take steps such as deploying forces to the Baltic States and Romania and stepping up the naval presence in the Black Sea to signal the alliance’s concern about further Russian intervention in Ukraine and signal that it was unacceptable, according to the Czech head of state. His spokesman Jiří Ovčaček said some media had misinterpreted the president’s previous comments as calling for NATO military intervention in Ukraine to counter any new moves by Russia there. That was not the case but at the same time the example of the Soviet-led invasion of then Czechoslovakia should not be forgotten, the spokesman said.

Around 600 soldiers, from the Czech Republic and 10 other NATO allies including Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, and the US, will take part in international military training in the Czech Republic in September. Ample Strike 2014 is similar to previous operations such as Flying Rhino or Ramstein Rover, but for the first time Ample Strike will be held under the auspices of the Czech Army. The military training operation will begin on September 3 and last until the 15.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has described Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region as the most serious security crisis since the end of the Cold War. In Prague on Thursday, the NATO secretary general demanded that Russia de-escalate tensions and withdraw around 40,000 troops from near the Ukrainian border. But what can the alliance do to pressure Moscow to back down? And are there any circumstances under which NATO would react militarily in the case of further Russian aggression? I put those questions to Mr. Rasmussen shortly before his

The European Union and NATO should send a strong message to Russia by extending military operations into areas of Ukraine and possibly Moldavia, Czech President Miloš Zeman said Friday, reiterating a view he shared a day earlier with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Prague. The president’s stance differs from that of the Czech prime minister, Bohuslav Sobotka, who stated it was not the time for "beating the war drum"; he indicated that he favoured diplomacy over threats. According to President Zeman, Russia needed to be sent a strong message to dissuade the country from considering any further annexation of regions in Ukraine after it took control of Crimea.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been in Prague on Thursday for talks with the Czech prime minister and other senior officials. Naturally Russian aggression towards Ukraine has been on the agenda, but the alliance’s secretary general has also been trying to persuade Prague to boost its military spending.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has challenged Russia to withdraw its troops currently lining the Ukraine border. Speaking on a visit to Prague and after a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Rasmussen said the around 40,000 Russian soldiers weren’t on an exercise but were combat troops ready for battle. Withdrawal of the troops would contribute to easing tensions and help start talks with Ukraine, he added. Rasmussen added that NATO countries should take more advantage of opportunities to jointly buy equipment since they could not meet all their equipment needs on their own.

NATO should not deploy its troops in Ukraine even in the event of further acts of aggression on the part of Russia, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said in a statement for the ctk news agency on Thursday. The prime minister stressed that since NATO’s character and role are essentially defensive the alliance should only respond with military force if one of its member states comes under attack. The statement is in sharp contrast with the view expressed by President Miloš Zeman who has urged the toughest possible EU sanctions and even a NATO military presence in Ukraine should Russia try to annex any other parts of the country. The crisis in Ukraine is expected to be high on the agenda of Thursdays talks with the visiting NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’.

The secretary general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is due to hold talks with the Czech prime minister, Bohuslav Sobotka, in a visit to Prague on Thursday. The two men are expected to discuss the country’s role in NATO, the Ukraine crisis and extending a Czech military mission in Afghanistan. A local newspaper reported on Wednesday that Mr. Rasmussen would also deliver a report saying the Czech army would be incapable of taking part in NATO missions unless military spending increased markedly. The Danish politician will also meet Czech President Miloš Zeman and other senior officials.

The general secretary of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is to pay a visit to Prague next Thursday. He is expected to hold talks with Czech government representatives on the further participation of Czech troops in a NATO mission in Afghanistan and summit of the military alliance that is due to take place in the Welsh city of Cardiff in September. NATO’s current mission in Afghanistan concludes at the end of this year, and talks are underway to extend it until 2016.

The Czech lower house has passed a motion rejecting the annexation of Crimea by Russia as a contravention of international law. Deputies also gave their backing to the government in negotiations on a joint European Union and NATO approach to resolving the situation in Ukraine. Of 179 deputies present in the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies 16 Communists and one member of Dawn voted against the motion, which came from the opposition Civic Democrats. A proposal from an opposition TOP MP that the cabinet push for economic sanctions against Moscow failed to find support.