President Zeman to visit Russia in May

President Miloš Zeman will pay at least one visit to Russia this year, the news site Parlamentnilisty.cz reports citing his spokesman Jiří Ovčáček. According to the president’s spokesman the Czech head of state has already accepted an invitation to take part in Moscow’s celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two. President Zeman has likewise received an invitation for a state visit to Russia in the fall of this year, though this visit has not yet been confirmed. The Czech president has come under fire for allegedly fostering close ties with Russia and the Washington Post recently described the Czech head of state as a "virtual mouthpiece for Russian President Vladimir Putin".