OREANDA-NEWS   Czech President Milos Zeman supported the assistance provided by the government to Ukraine and admitted that his initial opinion about Russian leader Vladimir Putin was erroneous, Radio CZ reports.

"Although some people call me a Russian agent, I believe that we should be in solidarity [with Ukraine]. I saw in him [Putin] a politician who cares about the interests of his country. The aggression was against the interests of the Russian Federation," Zeman said.

Before the start of the Russian military special operation in Ukraine, Zeman was one of those European politicians who advocated the establishment of relations with Russia and criticized the sanctions policy of the West.

At a bilateral meeting in 2017, the Czech President stressed that for a long time he has been an opponent of sanctions that could deprive Russia of Czech cheeses and yoghurts. In response, Putin joked that "we'll get the beer, and we'll sort out the yogurt somehow."