American President Joe Biden.
Prague – Next week, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) will participate on behalf of the Czech Republic in the negotiations of the so-called Bucharest Nine (B9), which will take place on the occasion of the visit of US President Joe Biden to Poland. Fiala told journalists after the cabinet meeting.
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Biden will visit Poland from February 20 to 22. He plans to meet with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda and representatives of other countries of the so-called Bucharest Nine. The topic of the meeting will be, among other things, aid to Ukraine, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reported last week. On February 24, one year will pass since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Fiala said today that he will participate in the B9 meeting with Biden on behalf of the Czech Republic. “I assume that we will discuss the situation in Ukraine, defense, security cooperation within the B9 group with the US,” he said. According to him, the meeting is important because the United States is one of the key partners, especially in the current security situation. Regular contacts as often as possible are therefore essential.
Biden should make a speech in Poland before the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With Duda, he will discuss bilateral cooperation and joint efforts to support Ukraine and strengthen NATO's deterrence. In addition to the Czech Republic and Poland, the B9 group also includes Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania and Slovakia.
Fiala said that the B9 states form NATO's eastern wing and experience the greatest security risk in connection with Russian aggression in Ukraine. “These are states that have taken a clear stance on supporting Ukraine from the beginning,” he said. Part of their stance is also the promotion of diplomatic pressure towards Russia, he added.
