Growing tensions between the Czech president and foreign minister erupted into a massive row on Tuesday, when President Pavel accused Minister Macinka of political blackmail, while the latter said the head of state was violating the constitutional order. The prime minister has called for calm.

The coalition government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Monday approved the state budget for 2026. Due to time pressure, the draft is a revised version of a proposal put forward by the previous administration, with a 24 billion crown higher deficit, increased funding for transport infrastructure and social needs, but less money for military spending.

President Petr Pavel is hosting Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura, and Senate President Miloš Vystrčil for talks on Czech foreign and security policy, as international partners watch for signs of continuity or change.

The Czech police has detained a man suspected of working for a Chinese intelligence service and charged him with “unauthorised activity on behalf of a foreign power.” He is the first person to be prosecuted for this offence, which was introduced into Czech law by the previous government.

The Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka met his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó in Prague for talks focused on energy, migration and regional cooperation. Both ministers highlighted what they described as long-standing political alignment between their governments. The meeting also touched on the war in Ukraine, the situation around Greenland, and differing views within the European Union.

Czech President Petr Pavel is on his third visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. During the trip, he received Ukraine’s highest state honor from President Volodymyr Zelensky, in recognition of his strong and consistent support for the country.

A Czech political prisoner detained in Venezuela since 2024 has been released with other foreign nationals, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said at an impromptu press briefing on Friday. The minister signaled that the Czech Republic is ready to begin restoring diplomatic relations with Venezuela.

Iran’s regime is facing another wave of mass protests, with reports indicating that hundreds of demonstrators have already been killed. The country is once again grappling with a near-total communications blackout, strict censorship, and severely limited access to verified information. In this interview, Hannah Kaviani of Radio Farda—the Persian-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty based in Prague—explains among others how the current unrest differs from the 2022 protests and how contact with people inside Iran is being maintained from the Czech capital.

The Chamber of Deputies will begin debating a vote of confidence in the three-party coalition cabinet on Tuesday. Given the high number of MPs seeking to speak in the debate, the vote itself is expected no earlier than Wednesday evening. The new cabinet, led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), is widely expected to win the confidence vote.

Motorists’ Party MP Filip Turek says he will file a civil lawsuit against President Petr Pavel, seeking an apology for remarks explaining why he was not appointed environment minister. The case recalls earlier legal challenges faced by Czech presidents — rare, but not without precedent.